Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Waruwu, also known as Louis, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Humanities and Creative Writing, HKBU. He holds a PhD in Media and Communication from City University of Hong Kong. His early fascination with the vibrant dynamics between digital culture and human interaction fuelled his interest in exploring the sociocultural implications of smartphones and social media on family intimacy, community building, relational stress and resilience. A native Indonesian, Louis moved abroad in 2011 and has since lived in Hong Kong, Taipei, and Singapore. This journey, too, has shaped his academic proclivities, attuning him to the politics and struggles of sustaining transnational relationships and identity during a prolonged separation. His current project focuses on how digital media influence the social, emotional and financial well-being of Filipino and Indonesian migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. His research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals, including New Media & Society, Mobile Media & Communication, and Media, Culture, & Society.
Research Interests
Mobile technologies and communication, family studies, migration, stress and resilience among migrant workers, and youth digital culture
Chinese Name
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- 1 Similar Scholars
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Artistic Activism and Feminist Advocacy Against Violence: An Ethnography of Migrant Women’s Participation in Hong Kong’s One Billion Rising
Waruwu, B. K., 12 Mar 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Critical Arts. p. 1-19 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
Open Access -
Humanizing, politicizing and surviving HIV: Multimodal discourses of HIV patient influencers on Instagram
Waruwu, B. K., 16 Jul 2025.Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference paper › peer-review
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Care of the Self as a Spatial Practice: The Digital Tools Supporting Physical Activities of Migrant Domestic Workers
Villani, C., WARUWU, B. K. L. & Siu, K. W. M., 18 Dec 2024, Future Practices of Citizenship in Asia and the West: Care of the Self. Bracken, G., Rabé, P. & Azlan, N. A. (eds.). 1st ed. Amsterdam University Press, Vol. 3. p. 271-288 18 p.Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open Access -
Visible, controlled, and persistent: An affordances approach to understanding social media for transnational parenting among migrant mothers
Waruwu, B. K., 12 Jan 2024, Research Handbook on Social Media and Society. Skoric, M. M. & Pang, N. (eds.). Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., p. 27-41 15 p.Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
The stories that tell us: smartphones and discursive reconstitution of transnational intimacy among migrant mothers
Waruwu, B. K., Apr 2023, In: Media, Culture and Society. 45, 3, p. 471-486 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
10 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
- 1 Event organized by HKBU
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Marginality and Migration: Narratives of Resilience and Belonging
TODOROVA, M. (Convenor), CHOW-QUESADA, S. M. E. (Convenor), FARMER, E. A. (Convenor), HARRINGTON, J. (Convenor), KWOK, E. (Convenor), MOUILLOT, F. (Convenor), TAM, D. D. S. (Convenor), WARUWU, B. K. L. (Convenor) & YU, C. (Convenor)
25 Jul 2024 → 26 Jul 2024Activity: Conference/talk/lecture/symposium/speech/workshop, etc › Event organized by HKBU