Sociology Ph.D. Candidate, M.A. · University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Erykah N. Hafner
I am a sociology doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan. I study how people make meaning of work in a digital economy, with a focus on Black entrepreneurs and creatives, the platforms they navigate, and the racialized conditions that shape their labor. I collaborate to share my work with academic, public policy, and industry practitioner audiences.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and dissertation researcher advised by Dr. Erin Cech.
Research
My work asks how people make meaning of work in a digital economy, and how race shapes the platforms and policies around them.
Work and identity in the digital economy
How Black entrepreneurs and creatives make sense of digital technologies, platforms, and visibility as they build their work.
Race, sexuality, and platforms
How algorithms and app design shape desirability, dating, and everyday life for Black women and other marginalized users.
Public attitudes and reparative policy
Survey and community research on racialized attitudes toward Black reparations, food access, and racial inequity in Detroit and Flint.
Dissertation
Black Entrepreneurs’ Sensemaking of Digital Technologies for Work
In progress · Committee: Erin Cech (Chair), Karyn Lacy, Paige Sweet, Corey Fields, Apryl Williams
Fellowship
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
2023 – 2027
Publications
All researchJournal articles
Hudgins, K.*, Benson, E.*, Carr, S.*, Simington, J.*, Walker, Z., Cruz, J., Hutchings, V., Lewis, E., Ostfeld, M. C., & Young, A. Crafting Democratic Futures: Understanding Political Conditions and Racialized Attitudes Toward Black Reparations. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 10(3), 49–67.
doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2024.10.3.03
Peer-reviewed proceedings
Williams, A., Brathwaite, K., Banks, J.*, Benson, E.*, Monier, M.*, Sayler, J.*, Paredes, G.*. (2026). “Needs Translation: Advocating for Marginalized Communities in Tech Design.” Proceedings of the Hawaii International System Sciences Conference
Read the proceedings paper
Student journals
Benson, E*. & Lundy, L*. “More than an Appetite for Convenience: Usage Patterns of Grocery Delivery Services in Detroit, Michigan.” Michigan Journal of Public Affairs, Volume 22.
Read in MJPA
In preparation
Hafner, E*. “The Spectacle of Craft: Black Creatives, Digital Labor, and Hyper (In)visibility.”
Forthcoming article in Feminist Media Histories, a University of California Press journal
Monier, M.*, Banks, J.*, Sayler, J.*, Benson, E.*, Brathwaite, K., Williams, A. (2025). “‘It’s giving fast food:’ Black Women’s Perceptions of Dating App Platforms and Algorithms.”
Revise and Resubmit
Banks, J.*, Benson, E.*, Halegoua, G., Abrons, E., Williams, A., Bui, M. “Reparative AI: A socio-historical approach toward redressing and repairing AI.”
Revise and Resubmit
Talks & Presentations
All talks & panels2026
The Development of Black Social Impact Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age
Benson, E. International Sociological Association, RC36 Alienation Theory and Research. October 14–16, 2026. Virtual Conference.
2026
Love Unseen: Measuring Young Adults’ Self-Perceptions and Attitudes Regarding Desirability in Dating Contexts
Monier, M., Benson, E., Sayler, J., Banks, J. Bowman Center Graduate Research Showcase. April 2, 2026. Michigan League, Ann Arbor, MI.
2026
Needs Translation: Advocating for Marginalized Communities in Tech Design
Williams, A., Brathwaite, K., Banks, J., Benson, E., Monier, M., Sayler, J., Paredes, G. Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences, 59th Annual Meeting. January 6–9, 2026. Lahaina, Hawaii.
2025
Delivering Change to the Motor City? Usage Patterns and Affective Experiences of Online Grocery and Meal Delivery in Detroit, Michigan
Benson, E. Population Association of America. April 10–13, 2025. Washington, D.C.
Teaching
Teaching & mentorshipUniversity of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MI
Seminar Lecturer, SROP Senior Seminar
“Preparing for Academic Research Posters.” · Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), Rackham Graduate School
2026
Guest Lecturer, PUBPOL 475: Race, Place, and Inequality
“The Case for Reparations.” Dr. Mo Torres · Ford School of Public Policy
2024
Guest Lecturer, Detroit Students Establishing Educational Dreams (S.E.E.D.) Program
“Grocery Delivery Use in Detroit.” · Office of Academic and Multicultural Affairs
2024
Graduate Principal Investigator, SOC 394: Sociology Undergraduate Research Opportunity
2024–25
Wayne State University – Detroit, MI
Graduate Teaching Assistant, ENG 1010: Basic Writing
Dr. Thomas Trimble (Section Faculty) · Hybrid instruction
2021
Michigan State University – East Lansing, MI
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, SOC 100: Introduction to Sociology
Dr. Eric Beasley · Virtual instruction
2021
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, SOC 161: International Development & Change
Dr. Benjamin Marley · Virtual instruction
2020
Background & Public Scholarship
Education
Ph.D. Sociology, in progress (expected May 2027)
University of Michigan · Ann Arbor, MI
M.A. Sociology, May 2024
University of Michigan · Ann Arbor, MI
B.A. Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (Honors Distinction), 2021
Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI
Fellowships & Awards
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
DGE-2241144 · 2023 – 2027
National Institutes of Child and Human Development Graduate Fellowship
5T32HD007339-37 · 2021 – 2023
Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Robert Dentler Student Practitioner Award
American Sociological Association, co-awarded with Jasmine Simington · 2026
In the Media
Gayety · 2026
Is ‘Normal’ a Myth? Feeld’s New Report Says Your Desires Probably Aren’t Unusual.
Detroit Free Press · 2025
Reparations program offers $25,000 in housing support to Black metro Detroiters.
Michigan Chronicle · 2023
Flint and Detroit Are at the Forefront of the National Reparations Discussion.
Michigan Public Radio · 2023
Report: Detroiters’ views on reparations linked to perception of racial inequity.
Briefs, data & mediaGet in touch
I welcome conversations about research collaborations, speaking invitations, and media inquiries.