Robert V. Kozinets (BBA, MBA, Ph.D.) is a cultural researcher who has developed methods and theories widely used around the world. His work seeks a deep understanding of the rapidly moving and intertwining worlds of technology and culture—technocultures—and the networks, institutions, myths, and algorithms that influence them. Working with investigators from business and universities around the globe, his teams like to question the relationships between technologies, media, brands, devices, beliefs, and desires. What are the effects of technologies on our passions? How does technology ignite them? What can we do with this? How can we learn from our mistakes and take advantage of the amazing opportunities that lie before us?
For over two decades, Rob Kozinets has been committed to pushing the boundaries of a more cultural and passionate form of studying and theorizing digital business and markets, and social media communication. That work has been published in a variety of forms, including books, peer-reviewed articles, blogs, Tweets, research videos (available on YouTube), and published poetry. His innovations in research method development changed the practices of research in industry and throughout the social sciences.
Rob has taught and conducted research at some of the world’s top universities, from Australia to Brazil, and Ireland to Israel. He has been an expert witness in major recent cases on social media and social media marketing. He has performed consulting and advertising research for some of the world’s biggest companies, including L’Oréal, Heinz, Coca Cola, American Express, Ford, Merck, Campbell Soup, Lowe’s Hardware, ArtCosmetics, HSBC, TD Bank and Financial Group, and many others.
In 2007, he started the blog Brandthroposophy at kozinets.net as an experiment in mass communicating research results and research-driven ideas with a wider global public. The blog caught on quickly. Backed by Kozinets’ Twitter account (kozinets), and LinkedIn profile, Brandthroposophy captured a loyal global audience of professional researchers, marketers, students, and others interested in cutting edge ideas about social media, marketing, and consumer culture thought. However, over time spam engulfed and gradually suffocated that site, and it lost attention from everyone, including Rob.
This new, updated, and more spam-ready effort is a result of his sincere gratitude for and affiliation with his prior worldwide audience. He sincerely thanks each and every reader for giving him their very valuable attention, and hopes for the conversation of participation with each of you.
His opinions, teaching, and research have been featured in global media from the New York Times and Washington Post to Newsweek to the Discovery Channel, NBC News, the CBS National News, Brazil’s Bites Magazine, Canada’s National Post, and Australia’s Boss Magazine. A key site to watch for his work is The Conversation. This site offers the most extensive selection of his written and other modalities of work on technoculture. And, of course, Tekno.
