Curriculum Vitae by Piotr Siuda
Books in English by Piotr Siuda
This edited collection brings in multiple scholarly perspectives to examine the impact of the pan... more This edited collection brings in multiple scholarly perspectives to examine the impact of the pandemic and resulting government policies, especially lockdowns, on one particular cultural sphere: games.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every aspect of our lives, regardless of where we live. In the initial months, many industry reports noted the unexpected positive impact on online digital game sales. Games were not just lockdown-proof, but boosted by lockdowns. Stay-at-home orders triggered a rush toward games as an alternative form of entertainment, and the ubiquity of mobile phones allowed wider than ever participation.
Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic studies how the COVID-19 pandemic affected game players, game developers, game journalists and game scholars alike in many other ways, starting with the most direct – illness, and sometimes death. Some effects are temporary, others are here to stay.
Papers in English by Piotr Siuda
Deviant Behavior, 2024
The darknet or illicit online drug trade has expanded significantly in recent years. Vendors’ mar... more The darknet or illicit online drug trade has expanded significantly in recent years. Vendors’ marketing communication strategies remain underexplored, however, as researchers focus on well-identified methods such as product quality, delivery times, or stealth shipping techniques. This study aims to show the multifaceted nature of sellers’ marketing practices on the dark web, including nonstandard approaches such as discounts, free samples, sales, contests, and lotteries. The article presents a case study of Cebulka, the largest Polish-language darknet market, using qualitative content analysis, natural language processing, descriptive statistics, and in-depth interviews. On Cebulka, vendors build relationships with buyers and maintain their trust through “marketing as promise management,” which includes feedback and review systems. The multi-method research approach reveals the nuanced nature of marketing on darknet platforms, drawing parallels and distinctions with traditional drug marketing. Additionally, this study contributes to understanding the darknet drug trade within the context of local markets, another underexplored topic.
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 2024
Background: This study explores how cannabis has been accommodated over the last 18 years in the ... more Background: This study explores how cannabis has been accommodated over the last 18 years in the social world of an online forum in Poland. It considers users who operate in the context of unhurried normalization and restrictive policy that has barely changed over the last two decades. Simultaneously, these users refer to global cannabis cultures and follow progressive policy developments worldwide. Methods: Cannabis-related threads were scrapped from the biggest Polish forum, posted in the years 2006-2023, and divided into three periods marked by minor relaxation of the punitive law in 2011 and the introduction of medical cannabis in 2019. The threads were thematically analyzed to track changes in the perceived access to cannabis and shifts in the reasons users praise it. Results: The shifts indicate the interaction of the normalization processes on both sides of the cannabis social world in Poland: among users and in society. The praise becomes less unconditional, and nuanced goals, or reflexivity of use emerges. Conclusion: We have recognized a consensus among forum users that there are problems associated with use. Instead of harm being neutralized as it used to be when stigmatization mattered more, it is now discussed among users who are becoming better informed, reflexive, and likely to engage with bottom-up harm reduction efforts.
Characteristics of the Dark Web's Online Drug Culture, 2024
This chapter focuses on the special features of the Dark Web’s drug culture. It contributes a con... more This chapter focuses on the special features of the Dark Web’s drug culture. It contributes a conceptual framework to drug users’ culture on the Dark Web. The main research questions were:
What are the typical features of the Dark Web’s drug culture?
What characteristics are typical of the drug culture on the Dark Web in particular, and what kind of explanatory factors can be found for them?
Typical characteristics of the Dark Web’s drug culture are analysed with the help of three variables typical of the network that arose from the data. These are thoughts/feelings, actions and values.
Drug users’ subculture on the Dark Web is a culture of otherness and outsiderness. Fear and anonymity are elements that play an important role in this subculture. Also, the importance of peer information and peer support is remarkable. On the margins of the two main questions, the chapter also signals that there could be differences in the Dark Web’s drug cultures in different countries.
Social Media and Society, 2024
The article uses the concept of online self-disclosure and examines whether TikTok videos reveal ... more The article uses the concept of online self-disclosure and examines whether TikTok videos reveal information similar to what is reported in existing research on social media within this field. In addition, the study aims to identify the creators’ motivations and the meanings they attribute to disclosing cancer and asks whether this disclosure challenges or supports the concept of a positive culture defined within the online self-disclosure framework. While similar research typically focuses on posts and is thus limited, this study combines conventional content analysis of 862 videos with in-depth interviews, offering a more nuanced understanding of the users’ lived experience. The findings highlight that TikTok is a platform for negative (e.g., fears, anxiety) and positive self-disclosure (e.g., joyful life events, self-acceptance). What is crucial, though, is that users feel exceedingly competent in educating others. The research debunks positive culture as an overly general category and undermines the traditional understanding of online self-disclosure. It reveals that seeking support is less important for patients than informing and warning others. By focusing on the educational meanings attributed to self-disclosure, this study enriches the body of research on cancer-related content shared on TikTok, including studies on low-quality cancer-related information.
Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on both traditional sports and esports. Researchers re... more The COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on both traditional sports and esports. Researchers reported the remarkable esports growth and that it “replaced” traditional sports in many different disciplines. They claimed that in a post-pandemic world, the substitutability of sports with esports would only increase. The presented chapter evaluates such views by looking at the voice of journalists dealing with both esports and traditional sports. 15 retrospective semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted, and, as it turned out, the interviewees were highly skeptical of the optimistic view presented above. For example, they emphasized the financial and organizational problems of esports during the pandemic. The chapter ends with a broader conclusion that one should be very careful when analyzing and juxtaposing esports and traditional sports as these should be understood as separate categories defined by different characteristics. This has some major consequences for managing esports and trying to anticipate its future.
Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented government responses to this pandemic have impacted v... more The COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented government responses to this pandemic have impacted virtually every aspect of people’s lives. This edited collection brings in multiple scholarly perspectives to examine the impact of the pandemic and resulting government policies, on one particular cultural sphere: games. In the pandemics’ initial months, many industry reports noted the unexpected positive impact on online digital game sales. Subsequently, however, the deleterious impact of the lockdowns on game production and related practices also came to light. Developers and players had to rapidly adjust to remote work and play. Many large-scale industry events were canceled, postponed, downsized, or virtualized. This book’s eleven chapters divided into three sections aim to examine and discuss these changes. The first and the longest section groups together those chapters that relay stories of games, gaming, and game developers during the pandemic. Subsequently, the second section explores some instances of how the initial impact of the pandemic has become permanent, with effects to be felt for years to come. Finally, the third section brings together explorations of the lessons drawn from the pandemic. Consequently, this third section is more about noticing some possible changes, but also noting those that have failed to materialize. Overall, the book’s message is that the pandemic affected game players, game developers, game journalists, and game scholars alike in many different ways. Some effects are temporary; others are here to stay. All deserve to be studied, and this book contributes to this growing field of research.
Horror entertainment continues to change, with horror games being another step in this evolution ... more Horror entertainment continues to change, with horror games being another step in this evolution after literature and movies. The paper characterizes how the cooperative mode of Dark Pictures Anthology games influences the horror experience of players. The Anthology has been analyzed via a close reading of selected Let’s Play videos, with 42 complete playthroughs analyzed and 18 playlists sampled. The article demonstrates how scare tactics deployed by developers cause players to feel more discomfort compared to a single-player mode. The split perspective of co-op exacerbates stress, tension, and fear as these are being experienced regarding not only oneself but also the other player. Additionally, players’ meta-genre knowledge combines with cooperation, thus influencing decisions and, ultimately, the game experiences. All this means that the cooperative way of playing may be seen as yet another step in the horror entertainment evolution.
Esports research is a burgeoning field, relatively new but growing rapidly, encompassing a wide r... more Esports research is a burgeoning field, relatively new but growing rapidly, encompassing a wide range of interdisciplinary perspectives. For HICSS-57, we actively sought high-quality research, inclusive of different methodologies, that examines diverse aspects of esports. We received fifteen manuscripts across various disciplines and selected five for presentation and publication. The papers focused on the support for players’ health and duty of care offered by esports organizations (Hong), spectators’ toxic behaviors (Qian, Yu, Seifried, Martinez, Matz & Luo), the development of esports athletes and its comparison to traditional sports (Fisackerly & Hwang), satisfying the psychological need by playing virtual reality golf (Chen & Li), the role of arousal in Super Smash Bro tournament performance (Nolla, Beeman & Reber).
At the HICSS-56 held in 2023, cybercrime was introduced as a multidisciplinary study area. Follow... more At the HICSS-56 held in 2023, cybercrime was introduced as a multidisciplinary study area. Following a series of informative presentations, the Cybercrime minitrack returns in 2024 for HICSS-57, featuring a wealth of high-caliber research. In response to the call for papers, nine manuscripts from various disciplines were submitted and subjected to peer and editorial review. Three papers were accepted for presentation and publication. All of these have a strong focus on how to respond optimally when organizations and individuals are successfully cyber-attacked. Hence, despite initial submissions on a range of significant topics, the final shape of this year’s minitrack emphasizes the role of communication in cybercrime research.
Leisure Studies, 2023
Researchers often use traditional sports' theoretical frameworks to evaluate esports' 'genuinenes... more Researchers often use traditional sports' theoretical frameworks to evaluate esports' 'genuineness'. Therefore, this article shows how esports is assessed by traditional sports and esports journalists and how this is important for esports research. We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 15) with the journalists representing top-tier Polish media and used inductive conventional content analysis. Three main analytical categories and ten subcategories indicate how the two types of journalists differ in their assessments of esports being or not being 'real' sport. The results highlight how problematic it is to use traditional sports as a frame into which esports needs to fit. We indicate the misconceptions of this approach and propose more inductive ones (e.g. searching for esports' distinct frameworks or revealing those used by different groups or communities). Also, our research has some practical implications and is a kind of 'map' showing the esports' new quality and its complex nature.
Games and Culture, 2024
Cyberpunk 2077's negative reception stood in striking contrast to the pre-release hype around the... more Cyberpunk 2077's negative reception stood in striking contrast to the pre-release hype around the video game built by the producer's marketing campaign and the gaming press. This study examines a selection of gaming websites, to consider their pre-release Cyberpunk 2077 coverage and the discrepancies between these early reports and the released game. Using inductive conventional content analysis, framed as thematic analysis, 148 press articles were investigated divided into nine subcategories, and three categories. These articles told an almost exclusively positive narrative, promising great performance and features. The uncritical reception of publisher information by journalists allows the authors to propose the notion of “broken promises marketing”. The article contextualizes this term in the gaming ecosystem, arguing that over-optimistic marketing is amplified through features of the online press ecology. Finally, the results are considered from a business ethics perspective, with a set of communications recommendations for both journalists and game publishers.
AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 2022, 2022
Educational Media International, 2022
The entertainment education (EE) approach shows that
entertainment storylines influence people’s ... more The entertainment education (EE) approach shows that
entertainment storylines influence people’s attitudes, opinions,
and behavior, and this occurs, among others, when it
comes to health and disease. In the case of TV shows and
movies cancer is the most frequently shown disease, and this
is especially important when considering the rise of VOD
platforms, gaining in subscribers and popularity. The article
aims at signaling Netflix’s EE potential, hence it could be a
starting point for future studies of streaming platform’s EE, a
highly neglected area. Netflix is thus 1) compared with other
popular VODs in terms of the number of cancer content (this
being the main interest of the presented analysis) and 2)
three content categories are indicated. Also, 3) a brief
description of selected texts is presented. The aim of the
article is exploratory, and it highlights the need for future
research, as the potential of Netflix’s EE seems the greatest
when compared to other platforms analyzed. Netflix has the
largest number of contents featuring cancer, and these could
influence audiences, i.e., raise awareness, change attitudes,
and motivate individuals to act.
EA Sports FIFA: Feeling the Game, 2022
The video game FIFA (Electronic Arts) is an annually released title with a very profitable “FIFA ... more The video game FIFA (Electronic Arts) is an annually released title with a very profitable “FIFA Ultimate Team” (FUT) game mode played by a large community of gamers. This has led to the emergence of celebrity FUT content creators on Twitch and on YouTube, yet also tensions between these individuals, the “average” player, and the game’s developers. The chapter explores players’ attitudes to and issues with the more powerful actors within the FUT ecosystem, offering us an incisive case study of ongoing changes and tensions in the relationships between players, developers, and content creators. In study design and analysis, the qualitative directed content analysis approach was used, as the chapter extands the project conducted over three years on the official FUT forum by one of the authors. Key categories of gamers’ criticism of content creators are indicated, keeping in mind biases that could result from this deductive approach. The players see content creators on Twitch and YouTube as a source of numerous frustrations related to gameplay, as reinforcing the game’s micropayment, and even as solely self-interested profit-makers with little “true” interest in the game. This even extends to what can only be termed conspiracy theories about the relationships between EA and FUT’s most visible content creators, with players proposing numerous surreptitious connections between the two. The chapter hence shows what happens when successful game content creators, and the “average” player, clash, and how FUT is a valuable case study of emerging power dynamics within gaming and game culture more broadly.
Proceedings of the 56th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS 2023, Hyatt Regency Maui, Hawaii, USA, 3-6 January 2023, Maui, Hawaii, 2023
Today, esports teams in multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games are often composed of player... more Today, esports teams in multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games are often composed of players from around the world. The paper asks whether a greater national heterogeneity of professional esports teams means their higher effectiveness. Desk research data of 13 tournaments of Dota 2 game held in 2011-2018 is used to calculate the teams' win ratio, i.e., the ratio of skirmishes (in all matches) won to the total number of skirmishes (match is a series of skirmishes). Hence, effectiveness is understood not as ranks or matches won, but as the lowest possible number of lost skirmishes. Multinational teams achieved a higher win ratio, compared to nationally homogenous teams and the analysis includes the role of coaches' nationalities. Working groups, cognitive diversity, and similarity/attraction theories are used to signal potential reasons and consequences of diversity on team performance. This exploratory study indicates future research threads on esports teams' national diversity.
Proceedings of the 56th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS 2023, Hyatt Regency Maui, Hawaii, USA, 3-6 January 2023, Maui, Hawaii, 2023
Research on esports is a relatively new, yet fast-growing discipline with multiple inter- and mul... more Research on esports is a relatively new, yet fast-growing discipline with multiple inter- and multi-disciplinary perspectives. For HICSS-56, research was solicited from multiple disciplines, including but not limited to business; cognitive science and psychology; information technology; sociology; media studies and communications; law; health, wellness, and medical sciences; and emerging technology. In total, eleven manuscripts from multiple disciplines were received and subjected to peer and editorial review. Of those eleven, five were accepted for presentation and publication. Introduction of the Esports minitrack and the accepted research is discussed.
Proceedings of the 56th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS 2023, Hyatt Regency Maui, Hawaii, USA, 3-6 January 2023, Maui, Hawaii, 2023
Research on cybercrime is on the rise in many areas of internet studies, often with a strong emph... more Research on cybercrime is on the rise in many areas of internet studies, often with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity. Hence, for HICSS-56 research is not confined to a single area, and the minitrack includes multiple disciplines and different methodologies. In response to the call for papers, seven manuscripts from a wide variety of disciplines were submitted which were then subjected to peer and editorial review. Three submissions were accepted for presentation and publication. Here, preliminary issues and accepted articles are being discussed.
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Curriculum Vitae by Piotr Siuda
Books in English by Piotr Siuda
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every aspect of our lives, regardless of where we live. In the initial months, many industry reports noted the unexpected positive impact on online digital game sales. Games were not just lockdown-proof, but boosted by lockdowns. Stay-at-home orders triggered a rush toward games as an alternative form of entertainment, and the ubiquity of mobile phones allowed wider than ever participation.
Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic studies how the COVID-19 pandemic affected game players, game developers, game journalists and game scholars alike in many other ways, starting with the most direct – illness, and sometimes death. Some effects are temporary, others are here to stay.
Papers in English by Piotr Siuda
What are the typical features of the Dark Web’s drug culture?
What characteristics are typical of the drug culture on the Dark Web in particular, and what kind of explanatory factors can be found for them?
Typical characteristics of the Dark Web’s drug culture are analysed with the help of three variables typical of the network that arose from the data. These are thoughts/feelings, actions and values.
Drug users’ subculture on the Dark Web is a culture of otherness and outsiderness. Fear and anonymity are elements that play an important role in this subculture. Also, the importance of peer information and peer support is remarkable. On the margins of the two main questions, the chapter also signals that there could be differences in the Dark Web’s drug cultures in different countries.
entertainment storylines influence people’s attitudes, opinions,
and behavior, and this occurs, among others, when it
comes to health and disease. In the case of TV shows and
movies cancer is the most frequently shown disease, and this
is especially important when considering the rise of VOD
platforms, gaining in subscribers and popularity. The article
aims at signaling Netflix’s EE potential, hence it could be a
starting point for future studies of streaming platform’s EE, a
highly neglected area. Netflix is thus 1) compared with other
popular VODs in terms of the number of cancer content (this
being the main interest of the presented analysis) and 2)
three content categories are indicated. Also, 3) a brief
description of selected texts is presented. The aim of the
article is exploratory, and it highlights the need for future
research, as the potential of Netflix’s EE seems the greatest
when compared to other platforms analyzed. Netflix has the
largest number of contents featuring cancer, and these could
influence audiences, i.e., raise awareness, change attitudes,
and motivate individuals to act.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every aspect of our lives, regardless of where we live. In the initial months, many industry reports noted the unexpected positive impact on online digital game sales. Games were not just lockdown-proof, but boosted by lockdowns. Stay-at-home orders triggered a rush toward games as an alternative form of entertainment, and the ubiquity of mobile phones allowed wider than ever participation.
Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic studies how the COVID-19 pandemic affected game players, game developers, game journalists and game scholars alike in many other ways, starting with the most direct – illness, and sometimes death. Some effects are temporary, others are here to stay.
What are the typical features of the Dark Web’s drug culture?
What characteristics are typical of the drug culture on the Dark Web in particular, and what kind of explanatory factors can be found for them?
Typical characteristics of the Dark Web’s drug culture are analysed with the help of three variables typical of the network that arose from the data. These are thoughts/feelings, actions and values.
Drug users’ subculture on the Dark Web is a culture of otherness and outsiderness. Fear and anonymity are elements that play an important role in this subculture. Also, the importance of peer information and peer support is remarkable. On the margins of the two main questions, the chapter also signals that there could be differences in the Dark Web’s drug cultures in different countries.
entertainment storylines influence people’s attitudes, opinions,
and behavior, and this occurs, among others, when it
comes to health and disease. In the case of TV shows and
movies cancer is the most frequently shown disease, and this
is especially important when considering the rise of VOD
platforms, gaining in subscribers and popularity. The article
aims at signaling Netflix’s EE potential, hence it could be a
starting point for future studies of streaming platform’s EE, a
highly neglected area. Netflix is thus 1) compared with other
popular VODs in terms of the number of cancer content (this
being the main interest of the presented analysis) and 2)
three content categories are indicated. Also, 3) a brief
description of selected texts is presented. The aim of the
article is exploratory, and it highlights the need for future
research, as the potential of Netflix’s EE seems the greatest
when compared to other platforms analyzed. Netflix has the
largest number of contents featuring cancer, and these could
influence audiences, i.e., raise awareness, change attitudes,
and motivate individuals to act.
This article is a summary of the assumptions and findings of the research project on the Polish popular (pop) culture producers' approach towards marketing. This project entitled Prosumption in the Pop Industry: An Analysis of Polish Entertainment Companies examines whether 1) the pop culture provides an opportunity to companies to involve the consumer in the creative process in Poland and (2) the acquirer is becoming
a prosumer and is actively participating in promoting and producing a media brand. Prosumption is a portmanteau formed by contracting the word producer with the word
consumer. The term was coined by Alvin Toffler (1980). Toffler's prosumers were consumers who were predicted to become active to help improve or design various goods and services.
Literatura związana z poruszanym przez Autora tematem skierowana jest przede wszystkim do duchowieństwa i traktuje głównie o ewangelizacji przez internet. Ta publikacja jest nie tylko wkładem w zrozumienie cyberprzestrzeni, ale również nowym spojrzeniem na religię - niezwykle ważny aspekt współczesnej kultury, na religię jako sferę coraz bardziej prywatną i indywidualną; ukazuje, jaką rolę w kształtowaniu nowego oblicza ludzkiej religijności odgrywa internet. Autor opisuje te zagadnienia z perspektywy socjologii, psychologii religii i religioznawstwa."
Na te i inne pytania odpowiada raport „Prosumpcjonizm pop-przemysłów. Analiza polskich przedsiębiorstw z branży rozrywkowej” (grant Ministerstwa Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego w programie Obserwatorium kultury)."
The main focus of the minitrack is cybercrime. Hence, the papers should give insights and develop a theoretical and practical understanding of cybercrime’s issues. We do not exclude any methodological approaches and welcome conceptual, theoretical, empirical, and methodological papers that enrich our understanding of illegal online practices.
PLEASE MIND THAT paper submission system reopenes for HICSS 57 on April 15, 2023.
PLEASE MIND that the paper submission system reopenes for HICSS 57 on April 15, 2023.
support groups and whistleblower data dumps, but on the other, also the distribution of drugs or child exploitation images. How the Dark Web shapes connections and communication and how it intersects with the Clear Web has not been sufficiently explored. Although the usage of the Dark Web is reported in literature, there is a still poor understanding of the Dark Web in terms of its social, cultural, or legal dimensions, to indicate only a few aspects. Besides, the research is still scarce when it comes to specifics of designing research on the Dark Web, e.g. pinpointing crucial methodologies or research ethics.
This minitrack aim is to give insights and develop a theoretical and practical understanding of issues related to the Dark Web without excluding any methodological approaches. We welcome conceptual, theoretical, empirical and methodological papers that enrich our understanding of Dark Web as a place of communication and networking.
This minitrack aim is to give insights and develop a theoretical and practical understanding of issues related to cybercrime without excluding any methodological approaches. We welcome conceptual, theoretical, empirical and methodological papers that enrich our understanding of illegal online practices.
The deadline for submitting the abstract is May 1, 2022.