A photorealistic drawing of Hiu Fung Chung, exquisite in its attention to detail and mimicry of the human form

Hiu Fung Chung

Title/Position
Doctoral Student
Faculty of Information

Hiu-Fung Chung (he/him) is a PhD candidate and Vanier Scholar in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, with a concentration in Media, Technology, and Culture (MTC).

Broadly, his recent work explores the intersections of technology, inequality, and social suffering across different socio-cultural contexts, particularly in relation to work and mental wellness. He also examines issues of technology and social justice, focusing on urban activism and digital citizenship in East Asia. His research draws on critical perspectives in media and communication studies, sociology, and science and technology studies (STS).

His writing has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Information, Communication & Society, Media, Culture & Society, Convergence, and the Chinese Journal of Communication.

Supervisor
Julie Yujie Chen

Education
2019 - M.Phil in Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong
2015 - B.Ed. in Liberal Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Double minors: Philosophy and Journalism and Communication)

Publications

  • Chung, H.-F. (forthcoming). Traveling with(in) critical AI studies: An East Asian standpoint. Media, Culture & Society. Advance online publication.
  • Chung, H.-F. (2025). Betting on (un)certain futures: Sociotechnical imaginaries of AI and varieties of techno-developmentalism in Asia. Information, Communication & Society, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2535427
  • Chung, H.-F. (2023). Book review: Julia Ticona, Left to our own devices: Coping with insecure work in a digital age. Convergence. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565231186744
  • Chung, H.-F., & Cheng, E. W. (2022). Constructing patriotic networked publics: Conservative YouTube influencers in Hong Kong. Chinese Journal of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2022.2093238
  • Tang, G., & Chung, H.-F. (2022). Radicalization, exhaustion and networked movement in abeyance: Hong Kong youth’s localist identification after the Umbrella Movement. China Perspectives, (2), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.4000/chinaperspectives.13749
  • Chung, H.-F. (2020). Changing repertoires of contention in Hong Kong: A case study on the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement. China Perspectives, (3), 57–63. https://doi.org/10.4000/chinaperspectives.10476

Research

His doctoral project examines the social, cultural, and political implications of emotion AI in East Asia, with a focus on the design and implementation of AI-powered mental health technologies in Hong Kong. Drawing on interviews, participant observation, and discourse analysis, the project explores how emotion AI reshapes care practices, imaginaries and institutions of mental health.

His research is supported by the SSHRC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Government of Canada).

Other

Specialization
Work
Inequality
Mental Life and Social Suffering
Media Sociology
Science and Technology Studies (STS)