For the third consecutive year, the Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC) brought bold ideas, engaging conversations, and interactive research to the 2024 Woodford Folk Festival, running from 27 December to 1 January. This year marked a significant milestone, with the launch of a new public facing initiative, the ‘Data Mystics’ stall, dedicated to digital self-discovery and community data donation.

Over the course of the weeklong festival, which welcomed more than 100,000 patrons per day, QUT’s DMRC delivered three panel sessions and ran the ‘Data Mystics’ activation stall, QUT’s most significant presence at Woodford to date. Importantly, QUT was the only university represented in this way at the festival, offering a vital public engagement platform at the intersection of research, community, and creative expression.
As part of the DMRC’s participation in the 2024 Woodford Folk Festival, leading researchers delivered three key panels as part of the official programme, each offering timely insights into pressing digital media issues.
QUT DMRC researchers Lucinda Nelson, Benson Rajan, Dr. Ehsan Dehghan, and Professor Daniel Angus led a thought-provoking session titled The 5W’s of Online Safety. This panel explored the often-unexamined assumptions surrounding online safety, and how society can navigate these challenges with care and agency. DMRC’s Dr. Ruari Elkington, alongside Alécia Elkington,  Direct Sales Manager QLD for Val Morgan Cinema Advertising and Eddie Tamir, Manager and Owner of Cameo, Classic and Ritz Cinemas delivered Living Cinema – What We Really Mean When We Talk About the (Latest) Death of Moviegoing, examining Australia’s enduring cultural relationship with cinema, the impact of digital streaming on moviegoing habits, and how these changes are reshaping not only the industry but the social experience of film itself.
 
DMRC researchers Benson Rajan, Lucinda Nelson, Dr. Ehsan Dehghan, and Professor Daniel Angus leading The 5W’s of Online Safety panel.
DMRC’s Dr. Ruari Elkington (right), alongside Alécia Elkington, Direct Sales Manager QLD for Val Morgan Cinema Advertising and Eddie Tamir, Manager and Owner of Cameo, Classic and Ritz Cinemas delivering the Living Cinema – What We Really Mean When We Talk About the (Latest) Death of Moviegoing panel.

Dr. Aleesha Rodriguez, Philippa Amery from the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child and Professor Daniel Angus presented The Kids Are Alright – Unpacking Some Fears About the Digital Lives of Children.
The DMRC’s final panel with Dr. Aleesha Rodriguez, Professor Daniel Angus, and Philippa Amery from the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child presented The Kids Are Alright – Unpacking Some Fears About the Digital Lives of Children. This engaging and reassuring conversation tackled common concerns about children’s online presence, dispelled pervasive myths, and shared evidence based advice on how to support healthy and informed digital engagement for young people.
Each session attracted engaged and curious audiences, contributing to vibrant conversations that carried beyond the stage and throughout the week.
‘DATA MYSTICS’ Data Donation Stall – Unveiling the Digital Self
(left to right) Danny Kirby, Kathy Nickels and Jordyn Nickels, volunteer ‘algorithm whisperers’ at the DMRC Data Mystics stall.
For the first time, DMRC hosted ‘Data Mystics’, a fully immersive data donation stall that invited Woodfordians to reflect on their digital selves and engage with the ethics, humour, and implications of everyday data use. The stall ran throughout the entire festival and was staffed by DMRC researchers and collaborators, affectionately referred to as “algorithm whisperers”, who offered personalised “data readings” to festival goers.
Patrons were invited to donate pieces of their digital footprint under strict ethical and privacy protocols, such as their Facebook ad interests, TikTok interactions, or Netflix playlists, and in return, received interpretations of their “digital self” through one of ten digital personas.
The 10 Data Mystics Digital Personas

These unique digital personas also informed the creation of a unique creature that was added to the Woodfordia digital forest installation, a living artwork that evolved across the week. Patrons also received their digital persona in the form of a temporary tattoo, or as a keepsake Data Mystics tarot card.

DMRC ‘algorithm whisperers’ Kathy and Jordyn Nickels looking through digital persona tarot cards with a younger Woodford Patron.
 
“Events like Woodford are a vital opportunity for us to take research out of the university and into the community. The conversations we had around algorithms and digital media platforms showed just how hungry people are for clear, grounded information about the systems shaping their lives.” – Professor Daniel Angus
This experience was not only entertaining and educational, but it was also impactful. The stall sparked hundreds of deep conversations about online tracking, algorithmic influence, and digital identity. Festival goers left with a better understanding of how their data is used and why contributing their data to ethical research is vital for informing research and policy.
DMRC Director Daniel Angus with Woodford patrons at the temporary tattoo station.
The ‘Data Mystics’ initiative is part of a broader collaboration with the Australian Internet Observatory a national research infrastructure supporting digital platform and smart data research. AIO received investment from the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) through the National Collaborative Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) in partnership with RMIT University, Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland, The University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology and Deakin University.Through this work, the DMRC aims to support media literacy, build digital trust, and contribute to a more transparent internet ecosystem.
Volunteer DMRC ‘algorithm whisperers’ Eleanor Angus, Caroline Gardam, Lucinda Nelson, and Vishnuprasad (Vish) Padinjaredath Suresh.
 
“If platforms won’t provide transparency, then it’s up to us as researchers and citizens to build the tools and spaces that reveal how these systems work. Projects like Data Mystics move us closer towards meaningful observability of algorithmic influence.” – Professor Daniel Angus
The QUT DMRC’s presence at Woodford 2024 was the most ambitious yet, and the response from the public was resounding. The ‘Data Mystics’ stall alone engaged thousands of attendees, many returning for repeat interactions throughout the week, and served as a powerful touchpoint for highlighting the DMRC’s role as a national leader in digital media research and innovation.
“The people who come to Woodford are curious, thoughtful, and ready to have nuanced conversations. It’s always a pleasure to engage here, because the crowd is informed, open-minded, and deeply invested in the world around them.” – Professor Daniel Angus
Through this work QUT’s DMRC once again demonstrated the power of creative, meaningful engagement in shaping public conversations about technology, media, and society.

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