Mirko Tobias Schäfer is Associate Professor at Utrecht University's research area Governing the Digital Society. He is co-founder and project leader of the Utrecht Data School. Mirko's research interest revolves around the socio-political impact of (media) technology.

With the Utrecht Data School, he investigates how algorithmization and datafication affect citizenship and democracy. Working closely with extra-university partners from government organisations, media, NGO's and corporations, Utrecht Data School does not only investigate the datafied society but takes part in building it.

Mirko is author of the book Bastard Culture! How User Participation Transforms Cultural Production (Amsterdam University Press 2011), and co-editor (together with Karin van Es) of the volume The Datafied Society. Studying Culture through Data (Amsterdam University Press 2017). Together with Tracey Lauriault he is editing the forthcoming volume Making a Difference. Novel Research Methods in the Datafied Society (Amsterdam University Press 2023).