About Sally Applin, Ph.D.

Sally A. Applin earned her Ph.D.in Anthropology at the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, working with the Centre for Social Anthropology and Computing (CSAC) where she researches the changing relationship between humans and algorithms, the impact of technology on culture, Maker culture, leading technologies, and the outcomes of network complexities as modeled by PolySocial Reality (PoSR). At Kent, Dr. Applin was advised by Dr. Michael D. Fischer, Professor of Anthropological Sciences, Chief Examiner, Director of CSAC, and Director of Enterprise. Sally holds a Masters degree from the graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU (ITP), and a BA in Conceptual Design from SFSU. Sally has had a career in the science museum design, computer software, telecommunications, innovation, insight, and product design/definition industries working as a Senior UX Designer, Senior Researcher, and Senior Consultant. An avid writer, S.A. Applin has also contributed to articles in Motherboard/Vice, Fast Company, Make, and the MIT Technology Review.

Dr. Applin is an anthropologist and Sr. Researcher who explores the domains of human agency, algorithms, AI, and automation in the context of social systems and sociability. Dr. Applin is a Research Fellow at HRAF Advanced Research Centres (EU), Canterbury, Centre for Social Anthropology and Computing (CSAC), and Research Associate at Human Relations Area Files (HRAF), Yale University. Dr. Applin has been an Associate Editor of the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, Associate Editor of the IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine (Societal Impacts Section), and an Executive Board Member of the Edward H. and Rosamond B. Spicer Foundation. Dr. Applin is currently a member of IoT Council (a think tank for the Internet of Things (IoT)), Shortwave Collective, the ACM Committee on Professional Ethics in Computer Science, the IEEE Algorithmic Decision Making Working Group (2017–ongoing), the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), and the Popular Culture Association.

Contact: sally@ (this domain)

BlueSky: @anthropunk

NEW! Book Chapter: Nov. 2025 Fischer, M.D., Applin, S.A., and Ravula, R. 2025. External Intelligence: Oracles, Divination and Animism, and the Use of LLMs/Generative AI. In Studies in Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 61, Symbolic Interaction and AI (S. Chen, Ed.). Emerald Publishing, Leeds, UK. 1 Nov., 2025

COMING SOON! Book Chapter: Forthcoming. Fischer, M.D., Applin, S.A. Forthcoming. Anthropology of Artificial Intelligence: Agency, Powerful Knowledge and the Algorithmic Other. In Handbook on Anthropology and Artificial Intelligence. Udupa, S., Baas, M., and Hervik, P. (Eds). (Forthcoming).

Publication Highlights:

Paper: May 2021 Facebook's Project Aria indicates problems for responsible innovation when broadly deploying AR and other pervasive technology in the Commons

Paper: April 2016 Exploring Cooperation with Social Machines

Paper: March 2016 Cooperating with Algorithms in the Workplace

Paper: November 2015 New Technologies and Mixed-Use Convergence: How Humans and Algorithms are Adapting to Each Other

Paper: April 2015 Toward a Multiuser Social Augmented Reality Experience: Shared Pathway Experiences via Multichannel Applications

Paper: March 2015 Resolving Multiplexed Automotive Communications: Applied Agency and the Social Car

Paper: March 2, 2015 Cooperation Between Humans and Robots: Applied Agency in Autonomous Processes

Article: Dec. 2013: Sally A. Applin and Michael D. Fischer "Asynchronous Adaptations to Complex Social Interactions"

Paper: June 29, 2013: Sally A. Applin and Michael Fischer - “Watching Me. Watching You. (Process Surveillance and Agency in the Workplace)”

Paper: March 19, 2013: Sally A. Applin and Michael Fischer - “Thing Theory: Connecting Humans to Location-Aware Smart Environments”