Join us as we dive into the double-edged power of social media for sustainable businesses and society.

We’re delighted to welcome digital marketing and communications expert Professor Sarah Glozer to our next Salon, as she unpacks how social media can shape and disrupt organisations – both as a force for empowerment and a chaotic spectacle.

Drawing on an ongoing paper co-authored with Dr Lauren McCarthy, Professor Glozer will be exploring digital transformation through the lens of the Bakhtinian carnivalesque.

What is the Bakhtinian carnivalesque?

Mikhail Bakhtin, an early 20th century Russian linguist and literary critic writing, used this term to characterise writing that depicts the de-stabilisation or temporary reversal of power structures, as happens in traditional forms of carnival.

In this Salon, Professor Glozer will explore how Bakhtin’s conception of the carnivalesque can illuminate the dual role of social media in both mobilising support for, and destabilising, organisational efforts to advance social justice.

While social media platforms, such as Instagram, X, Reddit, and others are transformative forces for global connectivity, these spaces are increasingly characterised by misinformation, polarization, and toxicity.

This Salon will unpack the ephemeral and ambivalent nature of social and political contestation in online settings, drawing on examples from the ‘anti-vax’ movement, #MeToo, and Black Lives Matter.

About Professor Sarah Glozer

Professor Sarah Glozer is Head of the Marketing, Business and Society division and a Professor in Marketing and Sustainability in the School of Management at the University of Bath, UK.

Her research examines the communication and practice of responsible and sustainable business, particularly in the context of digital transformation. She has published work in Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Organization, Business & Society and Journal of Business Ethics, among others.

She is co-author of one of Europe’s best-selling textbooks on Business Ethics and sits on the Editorial Review Board of leading journals including Business & Society and Organization Studies.

Who is this event for?

Our in-person Salons are for King’s staff, researchers and PhD students who are passionate about sustainability and keen to be part of a leading thinktank of innovative solutions.

For any event queries, or if you’d like to attend in-person but are not from King’s, please contact: sustainablebusiness@kcl.ac.uk. 

About the Salon Series

Launched in September 2024, our Sustainable Business Salon series provides an informal space for colleagues and postgraduate students to gather and exchange new ideas around a central topic within sustainable business.

We’re inviting experts from both our internal and external networks to lead each salon, sharing their latest research to catalyse discussion and spark creative thinking.

Discover other salons in our series here.