Meet the Authors
Unveiling the Truth Behind the Illusion
Mark Heisten, Kathleen Ryan, and David Staton are accomplished scholars and media professionals whose work explores the intersection between the real and the simulation.
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Mark Heisten
Mark is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Co-Director of the Center for Social Media at Marist University. Previously, he was the Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Colorado Boulder, teaching courses on strategic communication, brands and culture, and research and consumer insights. Mark’s research focuses on the moral obligations of brands engaging in socially responsible advertising and marketing, as well as on business and media ethics, AI, and media studies. He has more than 25 years of professional experience in marketing, advertising, and public relations, overseeing campaigns for some of the world’s largest and well-known brands, including Adobe, Apple, Chicago Bulls and White Sox, FedEx, HP, Intuit, Microsoft, Midas, Nestlé, the US Army, and Visa. Mark earned his BA in English Literature at the University of Missouri, his MBA in marketing and management at Santa Clara University, and his PhD in Media Research and Practice at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Kathleen M. Ryan
Kathleen is an independent scholar and filmmaker with more than 25 years of experience in network and local news and creative non-fiction storytelling.
Her research and creative work focus on transformations in storytelling due to shifting media technologies. Specifically, she explores the intersection of theory and praxis within evolving media forms such as the interactive documentary and artificial intelligence. Her hybrid projects deal with issues of gender, self-identity, visuality and user/participant agency.
Kathleen received her PhD in Media and Society from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, her MA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and her BA in Political Science from the University of California Santa Barbara.
David Staton
David Staton is a Professor at the University of Northern Colorado in the Department of Communication and Journalism. Much of his research examines visual representations of bodies in health and illness through the lens of ethics. He has tethered this work to adjacent fields of study and published widely in journals of interactive documentary, sport communication and oral history. He is the co-editor of two collected volumes. Creatively, his output includes three-feature length documentary films (producing, directing, writing),one experimental short documentary and two interactive documentaries.
He was awarded a PhD from the University of Oregon in 2016 in Media Studies following lengthy careers in journalism and the fine arts world. His undergraduate degree was awarded by the University of New Mexico and his Masters in Art History was awarded by SUNY Purchase.
The Drive Behind Living in the Simulacra
Inspired by the profound shifts in our perception of reality, Mark Heisten, Kathleen Ryan, and David Staton embarked on a journey to unravel the complexities of the digital age. Their collective experiences in media studies, philosophy, and digital communication have shaped the themes of Living in the Simulacra. The authors aim to illuminate how the boundaries between the real and the fabricated have blurred, urging readers to question the authenticity of their digital interactions. This book is a culmination of their desire to foster critical thinking and awareness in an era dominated by artificial constructs.