Harry Hudome

Harry Hudome’s research explores the impact of social platforms and the creator economy on the built environment, considering how physical spaces and live events are being (re)designed to encourage and facilitate photography and content creation.

Harry Hudome is a first-year doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. He is broadly interested in the nexus of digital platforms, physical spaces, and the experience economy.

Harry’s master’s thesis (at the University of Virginia) focused on selfie studios and museums, retail locations where customers can pose with multiple highly aestheticized backdrops, props, and set pieces. At Annenberg, he will build on this work to explore how all sorts of public, private, and commercial spaces are being transformed to be more aesthetically appealing (“Instagrammable”) and conducive to content creation. Likewise, he is increasingly interested in spaces where photography and videography are either restricted or prohibited.

Alongside this primary focus, Harry is working on a project that explores a trend involving the use of digital and disposable cameras – and apps that mimic them – among members of Gen Z. He also maintains a robust scholarly “side” interest in celebrity, with several projects underway that explore representations of famous families in the “nepo baby” moment. 

Prior to joining Annenberg, Harry worked at Data & Society, first as a grant writer and later in research administration. In these roles, he helped researchers, policy analysts, and event producers secure funding for their projects and report on the impacts of their work. He also served as the managing editor and interim book review editor of The Communication Review from 2022 until 2025.

Harry holds a master’s degree in media, culture, and technology from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s in communication studies from James Madison University.