David Nieborg

David Nieborg Dr. David B. Nieborg is a journalist, writer, critic, curator and consultant. But most of all, David is a researcher whose goal it is to translate the latest insights from academia to the world of government, business and NGO’s. David’s research focuses on online participatory culture, innovation and the ongoing transformations in the entertainment industry. In his talks he discusses social media, social politics, digital games and how to successfully implement digital strategies.

Instead of focusing on tools or technology in isolation, the strength of David’s approach lies in his academic and critical mindset and his ability to offer a broader perspective on contemporary media use. For David it is about ordinary users and how they leverage and appropriate media technologies. Avoiding cliche’s and buzzwords, in his talks he draws on cutting edge research from diverse fields such as media, innovation and game studies. By doing so he offers a unique perspective on both old and new media, how users integrate social media into everyday life and how business, government, academia, the military and the entertainment industry are rapidly changing.

Researcher
In 2005 David graduated cum laude at Utrecht University on the use of game technology by the U.S. Army for marketing, education and propaganda purposes. In 2008 he was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In the summer of 2011 he will defend his PhD at the University of Amsterdam. David has an extensive network of colleagues and published various journal articles, papers and book chapters on games, social media, and innovation. He currently lectures at Utrecht University.

Obama
In the summer of 2008 David got involved in the Obama campaign. He traveled across the United States to attend party rallies and campaign for the Obama 08 campaign. He saw John McCain lose in Virginia and Sarah Palin speech in Maine. Living in Boston he attended seminars at Harvard and MIT and interviewed volunteers, experts, journalists, academics, and political consultants. Unlike any other political campaign, Obama and his team demonstrated how to successfully leverage ‘old’ tactics and media such as TV as well as emerging technologies such as Twitter, Facebook and SMS. In his talks David provides an inside view of how hundreds of thousands of volunteers changed the world aided by cutting-edge technology.

Journalist and interviewee
As a journalist and columnist David writes for several leading Dutch outlets such as nrc.next, NRC, Dagblad de Pers, Bashers.nl, Vrij Nederland, and many others. As an expert on social media and digital games he is a regular interviewee for newspapers (Het Financieele Dagblad, Algemeen Dagblad, Parool, Volkskrant, Spits, GPD Dagbladen), magazines (Elsevier, Nieuwe Revu, Management Team, Intermediair, Adforesult), TV shows and documentaries (EenVandaag, VPRO Tegenlicht, Al-Jazeera English, De Wereld Draait Door, NOS journaal, RTL Nieuws) and radio shows (BBC Radio, Radio 1 Journaal, NRCR Lunch, TROS Online, BNN United, L1, BNR Nieuwsradio, Lijn 5).

Consultant.
As a consultant David advised government agencies and a number of leading Dutch companies on social media and gaming. Currently he is involved in a longterm project on gaming for the Ministry of Security and Justice and is the lead consultant for the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (the Dutch Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to help design and implement a digital strategy.

Expertise
David’s strength is to share his enthusiasm about social media, virtual worlds and games in a no-frills fashion. Drawing on his own experiences as an academic and a consultant his talks offer an engaging and accessible pathway into the world of new media.

Recommendations:

“David presents a very nice masterclass on Obama’s social campaign. It’s a well structured and exiting story on social media success, leaving out the usual buzzwords and cliches you’ve already heard too much. Warmly recommended. Top qualities: Expert, Good Value, Creative” Hans Schepers, September 2010
“David is an inspired person who also can inspire other people. I listened for 45 minutes to David about the community strategy Barack Obama used on his election campaign. I’m sure I easily could listen for a whole afternoon. So when you need a enthusiastic speaker on the subject don’t hesitate to ask David.  Top qualities: Personable, Expert, Creative”
Deddy Dorenbos, October 2010

David Nieborg about the Obama Campagne at Studium Generale, Universiteit Utrecht (in Dutch):