Parasocial has been named the Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year. @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social was invited to @vrtnws.be Laat to unpack what parasocial interactions really are and why they’ve become so central in our increasingly digital media landscape 📺Watch: www.vrt.be/vrtmax/a-z/v...

🎓Last Monday, @gonzalezanaelle.bsky.social successfully defended her PhD dissertation “Politics Undercover: Understanding the role of social media personalities in adolescents’ development of the political self,” supervised by @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social and funded by @erc.europa.eu👏Congrats!

🎓Congratulations to @jasminarosic.bsky.social for defending her PhD: “Growing up in a digital world: Understanding the perceived positive experiences of digital media use among (disadvantaged) adolescents” supervised by @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social & Bojana Lobe, and funded by @erc.europa.eu.

In a recent SWAY (Social Sciences for Society) blog, @femkekonings.bsky.social, @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social, & Sindy Sumter unpack how mobile dating apps shape young adults’ self-image, relationships, and well-being. 👉 soc.kuleuven.be/sway/verhale...

Meer dan een swipe: hoe datingapps het zelfbeeld en welzijn van jongeren beïnvloeden | SWAY

Mobiele dating apps zoals Tinder en Bumble zijn niet meer weg te denken uit het liefdesleven van jongvolwassenen. Maar hoe beïnvloeden deze apps de manier waarop jongeren zichzelf presenteren, relatie...

soc.kuleuven.be

Yesterday, our Lab joined Eetexpert’s Kennisdag on youth body satisfaction. @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social shared new findings on social media and body perception, while @nelejanssens.bsky.social & @laurededecker.bsky.social presented media parenting practices. Thanks, Eetexpert for an inspiring day!

Two major projects from the Media Psychology Lab are coming to an end: MIMIc Project and #SmokeFree Project. On October 25, we will organize a study day in Leuven to share insights and practical tools from the projects. Join us! Participation is free, but registration is required.

Excited to share some conclusions of our research on youth and well-being @gonzalezanaelle.bsky.social @jasminarosic.bsky.social @luca-carbone.bsky.social @gvanhoffelen.bsky.social @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social

European Research Council (ERC)@erc.europa.eu · last yr.

The MIMIc project, led by @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social‬, investigates how ‘malleable ideals’—the constantly shifting portrayals of success & perfection in media—influence teenagers’ well-being, identity, and life aspirations. Discover more 👉 buff.ly/jLuzdnI

🔓New open access publication alert! My latest article, "The Values of Fame: Exploring the Visual and Textual Representations of Basic Values in Influencers’ Instagram Content", w/ @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social & I. Akgün is just out in Social Media + Society. (1/8) 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/2056...

Trending topics, growing knowledge? How curating actors' political social media content affects youth's political knowledge With @catowaeterloos.bsky.social, @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social and @desireeschmuck.bsky.social

We are proud to share that Prof. @kathbeullens.bsky.social received the Senior Scholar Award from ICA’s Children, Adolescents, and Media Division! Honored for her impactful research, leadership, and dedication to mentorship. A well-deserved recognition!

Postdocs in the spotlight at #ICA2025 🔹 @luca-carbone.bsky.social won the Top Dissertation Award (CAM Division) for their work on success narratives in music. 🔹 @femkekonings.bsky.social received the Top Poster Award for her study on sexualized self-presentation on dating apps. Congrats to both!

📍 Proud of our strong presence at #ICA2025 in Denver! Our lab members presented research on mobile media, identity, digital well-being, political influencers & more. 👏 Congrats to all presenters! 📄 Full overview: soc.kuleuven.be/smc/ica-2025...

PhD researchers from our lab were recognized with Top Paper Awards at #ICA2025! 🔹 @elienbeelen.bsky.social – Trigger warnings & media effects 🔹 @margotlissens.bsky.social – Gen Z news consumption 🔹 @darianharff.bsky.social – Trust in political influencers See more: soc.kuleuven.be/smc/news/phd...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to represent the @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social at the SSH Research Day of @kuleuven.bsky.social on 'AI in and for Humanities and Social Sciences' with a poster on two research projects within the lab.

👉 A Theory of Resonant Experiences with Media 🧑‍🧒‍🧒 (HYBRID) ICA@75 THEME SESSION: Consolidating Communication Research: Theoretical, Organizational and Methodological Developments 📆 Monday 06/16 🕑 09.00-10.15 📍 Centennial E (Regency 3)

At the insightful MediaNest Study Day @mediawijs.bsky.social, @nelejanssens.bsky.social, @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social, @kathbeullens.bsky.social, Mariek Vanden Abeele, @laraschreurs.bsky.social shared findings on media parenting, youth's media use, and social media literacy tool Vibe Check.

🥳 New publication on the links between social media use and perfectionism in adolescence, as part of Prof. @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social 's MIMIc project (www.projectmimic.eu/)

Wai Yen Tang Ph.D.@wytang.bsky.social · last yr.

The Perfect Li(f)e: A Longitudinal Study on Positive Social Media Content & EU Adolescents’ Perfectionism by @gvanhoffelen.bsky.social @gonzalezanaelle.bsky.social Lara Schreurs, Caroline Giraudeau, & Laura Vandenbosch @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Publication alert! 🤩 @jasminarosic.bsky.social, @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social and I investigated the longitudinal links between adolescents' perceived digital well-being and self-esteem. Give our paper published in JCMC a read here👇

Jasmina Rosič@jasminarosic.bsky.social · last yr.

New paper in JCMC📃📢 With @laraschreurs.bsky.social & @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social we explored reciprocal longitudinal links between adolescents' perceived digital well-being & self-esteem + the role of digital inequality & smartphone screen time doi.org/10.1093/jcmc... @erc.europa.eu MIMIc project

New paper in JCMC📃📢 With @laraschreurs.bsky.social & @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social we explored reciprocal longitudinal links between adolescents' perceived digital well-being & self-esteem + the role of digital inequality & smartphone screen time doi.org/10.1093/jcmc... @erc.europa.eu MIMIc project

Excited to be back in Buffalo NY for the Moral Media Conference! I’ll be presenting my last PhD chapter on the longitudinal links between adolescents’ moral values and exposure to influencers’ moral content together with @lindsayhahn.bsky.social and @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social ✨ #moralmedia25

Excited that our MIMIc Project, (team members @gonzalezanaelle.bsky.social , @jasminarosic.bsky.social , @gvanhoffelen.bsky.social and @luca-carbone.bsky.social ) on social media uses and teen's well-being and success beliefs will be featured at Osaka #EXPO2025! Many thanks to @erc.europa.eu !

Last weekend, our lab participated in KU Leuven Inside, celebrating 600 years of KU Leuven🎉 We presented our research on digital media's effects in a smartphone use expo📱 & our professors @steveneggermont.bsky.social, Kathleen Beullens, & @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social delivered 600-second lectures👩‍🏫

🚨 #callforpapers! With Esther Martinez Pastor, Marian Blanco Ruiz & Jasmina Rosič, we invite scholars to submit their work for a special issue in the journal Doxa Communicación on Digital Environments and Mental Health in Young People: Challenges and Opportunities. Details here: bit.ly/4hJTdG5

We hope you have enjoyed our presentations at #Etmaal2025. This year, we presented a record number of papers. Check out the full list on our website. Interested in knowing more? Feel free to reach out! soc.kuleuven.be/smc/news/ove...

Conference week continues! We’re attending the Leuven Child and Youth Institute conference. There, @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social discussed how online spaces influence users' body image, while @robynvanherle.bsky.social shared insights on how health and risk behaviors are shaped online.

Can self-posting on social media help to combat identity distress? 🤳 @gvanhoffelen.bsky.social shares key insights from our research, revealing the complexities of online self-presentation and its longitudinal impact. #Etmaal2025 @laraschreurs.bsky.social @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social

On the last day of another inspiring & fun #etmaal2025, I presented a paper together with @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social based on the ERC MIMIc project on the longitudinal associations between exposure to influencers and political interest in adolescence @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social

Making sense of heterogenous media content experiences and their effects with @luca-carbone.bsky.social and @chellymaes.bsky.social #etmaal2025 🧑‍🎓🎮📱📺🎧 @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social

Are young social media users becoming more materialistic? 📱💸 Ilse Vranken presents our latest insights from a three-wave panel study in adolescents #etmaal2025 @ilsevranken.bsky.social @sanneopree @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social

Unpacking the longitudinal links between political influencers and youth's political socialization with @gonzalezanaelle.bsky.social @darianharff.bsky.social @margotlissens.bsky.social @desireeschmuck.bsky.social looking forward to continue the conversation in future research 📱📳 #etmaal2025