Sig Byrd
Researching what it means to stay human in predictive systems.
Graduate Researcher, Florida International University
Invited Presenter, Mozilla Festival 2025
Consulting & Speaking on Psychology, Technology, and Ethical Systems
About
I am a systems-critical researcher and psychology graduate student studying how technology’s design choices reproduce harm. My work sits at the intersection of psychology, computer science, and ethics, tracing how infrastructures of power shape consent, embodiment, and accountability in digital life.My research centers on post-consent systems and survivor-centered frameworks that reveal how optimization culture displaces autonomy and care. I serve as a Student Representative on the Graduate Education Committee and as a researcher with the Anti-Ableism Research Team at Florida International University, where I contribute to projects on accessibility, belonging, and neuroinclusive design.My work has been presented at the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Convention (Division 17) and was selected for Mozilla Festival 2025, where I was invited to lead The Internet Is a Graveyard of Consent: AI, Sexual Sovereignty, and the Rise of the Rendered, a session on digital sexual exploitation and systemic accountability in emerging technologies.
Research
Updated November 2025
Independent Projects + Selected works
The Internet Is a Graveyard of Consent
Independent Research Article (in progress) | Selected for Mozilla Festival 2025
Examines the systemic collapse of consent in generative AI systems through the frameworks post-consent systems, optimization as violence, and the rendered.
Therapists in the Feed: Digital Literacy and the Ethical Challenge Facing Counseling Psychology
Byrd, S. (2025) | APA Annual Convention, Division 17
Who Protects the Protectors: Clinician Safety, Digital Threats, and Systemic Accountability
Byrd, S. (2025) | APA Annual Convention, Division 17
Erased by Design: A Psychological Investigation of Optimization Pressure, Identity Dissonance, and Platform Harm Among Marginalized Digital Creators
Byrd, S. (in preparation) | Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Meghan Owenz, Florida International University
Independent empirical study developing novel model that expands on currently validated measures of technologically mediated distress. study design pending IRB approval.
Collaborative Projects (AART)
Anti-Ableism Research Team — Dr. Meghan Owenz, Dr. Deniz Aydemir-Doke, Brett Spencer, and Sig Byrd
Symbiotic Belonging: Disability-Specific Communities and Institutional Accessibility
Spencer, Brett; Owenz, Meghan; and Byrd, Sig. (submitted to Disability & Society)
Collaborative paper introducing symbiotic belonging, a structural model linking disability-specific communities and institutional accessibility to improve belonging and well-being among disabled students.
Sensory Social Justice in the Academy
Owenz, Meghan; Spencer, Brett; and Byrd, Sig. (forthcoming, Elsevier 2025)
Book chapter in The Handbook of Evidence-based Neuroinclusive Teaching, Course Design, and Student Support in Higher Education. Explores sensory justice and disability-informed pedagogy as structural pathways toward equity in higher education.
Consulting + Speaking
I help teams, organizations, creators, and educators understand the psychological and ethical impact of existing and emerging technology.
Consulting
Systems + Ethics
I collaborate with organizations, researchers, and educators to examine how technology and platform design shape human wellbeing and social systems. My consulting blends strategic insight with practical outcomes, including:• Ethics and governance briefings
• Survivor- and worker-informed framework design
• Accessibility and language audits for harm reduction
• Workshops translating psychological insight into ethical and sustainable practiceEach engagement centers accountability, inclusion, and care, helping institutions build systems that protect, rather than exploit, those most affected by emerging technologies.
SPEAKING + DIGITAL WELLBEING
Visibility + Sovereignty
I facilitate talks, workshops, and one-on-one dialogues about digital exploitation, synthetic intimacy, and the emotional realities of online life. These sessions are reflective and educational spaces designed to help participants think critically about consent, visibility, and embodiment in networked systems.I also meet with individuals navigating creative or relational life online who want a peer perspective grounded in psychological and ethical research.Topics include:
• The psychology of intimacy in mediated systems
• Post-consent design and survivor-centered ethics
• Privacy, data sovereignty, and digital self-possession
• Collective care and recovery from algorithmic harmEach exchange offers language, perspective, and tools for self-defined agency and digital wellbeing.
All consulting and speaking sessions are paid engagements. Rates vary by format and scope, with limited sliding-scale and community sessions available for those facing financial barriers.
Contact
For collaborations, speaking opportunities, or research inquiries, please reach out below.
I welcome thoughtful conversation and connection.
Let's build toward more ethical and human-centered systems together.
You can also reach me directly at [email protected].