Dr Mark Carrigan FRSA FHEA is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester where he is co-lead of the Digital Education Manchester group. Trained as a philosopher and sociologist, his research aims to bridge fundamental questions of social ontology with practical and policy interventions to support the effective use of emerging technologies within education. He has written or edited eight books, including Social Media for Academics, published by Sage and now in its second edition. His latest book Generative AI for Academics was released by Sage in late 2024. He jointly coordinates the Critical Realism Network while being a council member of the International Association For Critical Realism and a trustee of the Centre for Critical Realism. He is a board member for a range of publications, including Civic Sociology, the Journal of Digital Social Research and Globalisation, Societies and Education.