Godwin Simon

Godwin Simon is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media at the University of Toronto. He is a media industries researcher with interest in the intersections of digital platforms, streaming, and AI in the Nigerian media industries. Specifically, he is interested in how these technologies orchestrate disruption of legacy media industries while enabling the emergence of new media industry sectors. Godwin obtained his PhD in Media Studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. His PhD research explored how Nigerian filmmakers negotiate cultural productions with the incoming of global and local streaming services and YouTube. At the University of Toronto, Godwin continues to build on his research on the intersection of digital technologies and the Nigerian media industries. His ongoing project entails investigating the cultural and economic logics that structure the emergent creator industry in Nigeria as well as exploring how the Nigerian journalism industry interface with the dynamics of digital platforms and AI. Godwin has published in internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals such as Convergence, International Journal of Cultural Studies, and Transnational Screens. He has also presented research at local and international conferences. He has served as the International Liaison of the International Communication Association’s Media Industry Studies Interest Group and has taught courses in the intersection of digital technologies and media industries transformation. His forthcoming monograph (with the MIT Press) focuses on the cultural and economic implications of streaming for the Nigerian Film Industry (Nollywood).