My research investigates how the changing ways in which people interact with media affect individuals as well as society at large. My work takes a broad approach to understanding media impact, starting from the idea that to explain effects, one must understand audiences. Subsequently, on the one hand, I investigate why and how people use certain types of media platforms and content, and what factors influence their use. On the other hand, I examine the varying effects of media use both at a personal as well as on a social level.
My scholarship starts from a perception of media consumers as engaged users: people who reflect on and interact with media content and who make conscious choices about selection and consumption, choices which are the result of personal and social factors. Understanding the engaged user is central to my research, and crucial in a world where media use has become increasingly integrated into every aspect of people’s lives. With the advent of digital technologies like social media and smartphones, the ability to have one’s opinion heard, interact with others, and find entertainment are all only a tap on a phone away. At the same time, the amount of information and media options available have grown exponentially. This means that understanding why and how people use media, what they do with the available media content and affordances, and how this usage impacts them as well as the society at large is paramount.
Research focus
My scholarship consists of multiple lines of investigation which are informed by a variety of theoretical approaches such as media psychological perspectives, social identity theories, public sphere theory, self-perception theories, as well as field and structuration theory. In my work, the research question drives the methodology, and I rely on quantitative as well as qualitative methods, including experiments, surveys, focus groups and interviews, content analysis, and digital ethnography. Broadly speaking, I conduct research into three areas: 1) Understanding digital media usage; 2) news and media literacy; and 3) media entertainment selection and experiences. A final line of research comes out of a desire to make the world a better place. This often results in my taking on projects that are not directly related to my research agenda, but that speak to current social issues.