Science Communication
Research often involves navigating through complex data and intricate findings. However, the beauty of research lies not just in its depth but also in its ability to resonate widely. Visualizing this depth is the key to unlocking the true insights hidden within the data – which is why science communication is a crucial part of doing science. I translate my research into infographics, participate in podcasts and give interviews to news outlets.
Podcasts
In the summer of 2024, I was invited to the University of Tübingen and the International Research Training Group focusing on women’s health in the reproductive years. Next to a scientific talk about early adolescents’ body image and brain development in a digitalized society, I also joined their podcast! You can find the podcast episode here:
Podcast “lets talk about adolescents and social media”
Science summaries
APA journals offer authors the opportunity to translate their research into accessible summaries. Find my summary here:
Summary “Conflicting appearance messages on social media and teens’ body image”
Mediapunt, the knowledge center for media research, regularly publishes an overview of Flemish media research, and this time features a nice summary of the work of Steven Eggermont and myself. In the research brief “Appearance in the Media: How the Variety of Media Messages Affects the Body Image of Young People,” our article is explained in digestible points. In this article, we – for the first time – pay more attention to the fact that the media landscape often contains conflicting messages and that young people do not passively accept them. Particularly the last conclusion is one I will increasingly focus on in future research: “This research highlights that interventions teaching young people to think critically about media messages and their social context can help mitigate the negative effects of media.” Go check it out via this link (only in Dutch!):
Infographics
Infographics are visual aids that make the narrative of research accessible, engaging, and impactful. Join me on this visual expedition of my research!
Abstract
Selective exposure literature indicates that not all users take away the same messages from their media exposure; it is suggested that viewers are not merely exposed but rather reactive to multiple—and possibly opposing—messages. The current study aims to introduce an active media-processing perspective, focusing specifically on the media-body image association among an early adolescent sample. Results of a three-wave longitudinal survey among 971 early adolescents (Mage = 11.14; SD = 1.13) show that media-focused peer interactions (W1), but not media exposure (W1), were associated with contradictory perceptions of attractiveness (i.e., perceived benefits and perceived costs for investing in appearance) (W2). Polynomial regression analyses pointed out that the association between these contradictory perceptions (i.e., interaction between benefits and costs; W2) was curvilinearily related to body image investment (W3). The findings emphasize the variable vulnerability of adolescents to the media effect and the importance of acknowledging multi-layered media messages.
Infographic
The article can be found here
Abstract
Research has shown that young individuals frequently turn to social networking sites (SNSs) to monitor others’ behaviors. This is especially likely with Snapchat, as this platform offers extensive monitoring options in real time, for instance through the use of the “snap map”. However, despite the growth of surveillance features, little is known about the use of these features and their possible association with individuals’ mental health. Consequently, this cross-sectional survey among 16- to 25-year-olds (N = 360, Mage = 19.51) examines (1) whether individuals with a higher need for popularity are more likely to engage in Snapchat surveillance behaviors, (2) whether these behaviors, in turn, are associated with indicators of individuals’ mental health, specifically feelings of loneliness and depressive symptoms, and (3) whether fear of missing out mediates the association between surveillance behaviors and these mental health indicators. The findings show that a higher need for popularity is associated with the monitoring of others through Snapchat, which, in turn, was associated with health indicators via fear of missing out. These associations were, however, not found for general Snapchat use, indicating that specific uses of this platform are more detrimental than others. Future research should, therefore, focus more thoroughly on the relationships between specific SNS behaviors and individuals’ mental health.
Infographic
The article can be found here
Abstract
Social media have transformed peer relationships among adolescents, providing new avenues to attain online status indicators such as likes and followers. This study aimed to explore the associations between various dispositional and social factors and digital status-seeking behaviors among a sample of adolescents (N=731; Mage=14.69, 48.7% female), as well as explore potential gender differences in the examined associations. Sociometric nominations for digital status-seeking, likeability, and popularity were collected, and participants self-reported their social media use frequency, awareness of social media positivity bias, reward sensitivity, and gender. The findings revealed a positive relationship between sociometric popularity and digital status-seeking, whereas likeability displayed a negative association with digital status-seeking. These results emphasize the importance of distinguishing between different social status indicators in understanding online behaviors. Reward sensitivity did not show a significant link to digital status-seeking, and awareness of social media positivity bias heightened the likelihood of being nominated as a digital status-seeker. These findings underscore the need for further research, especially on girls who appear to be more vulnerable to engaging in digital status-seeking behaviors.
Infographic
The article can be found here
Abstract
Today’s social media landscape is highly complex with adolescents encountering multiple, and sometimes contradictory, messages simultaneously, leading to a need for a more active perspective on media effects. The current cross-sectional study aims to take a crucial first step in examining how adolescents’ exposure to contradictory appearance messages relates to their body dissatisfaction. Additionally, the resonance of such messages among users is tested as a moderator. In March 2020, 278 adolescents (69.4% girls, Mage = 16.20, SD = 1.73) completed an online survey. Results show that idealized and counter-idealized content are, respectively, positively and negatively, related to body dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction is lowest when adolescents indicate to be exposed to both idealized and counter-idealized content in a balanced manner but increases when idealized content outweighs counter-idealized content, particularly. Interestingly, social resonance, or the extent to which media messages resonate with the social context (i.e., peer conversations), does not moderate these relations. Overall, these findings provide an understanding of how adolescents’ social media consumption patterns can shape their body image, and highlight the need for media effects research to account for the complexities of adolescents’ media diet.
Infographic
The article can be found here
Abstract
Adolescents’ experiences with social media are complex and can impact their mental well-being differently. Our study aimed to understand how neurobiological sensitivities may moderate the association between different social media experiences and depressive symptoms. In a multi-wave study, 80 adolescents (Mage = 13.06, SD = .58) took part in an fMRI task designed to gauge the neural responses when viewing accepted and rejected peers
within their own social networks (wave 1). We also collected self-reported measures of positive (digital social connection) and negative (digital pressure) experiences on social media and depressive symptoms (waves 2 and 3). Our findings revealed that there were no significant associations between digital social connection, digital pressure, and depressive symptoms one year later. However, the association between digital social connection and depressive symptoms was moderated by neural responsivity. Specifically, for adolescents with reduced sensitivity to their rejected peers in the VS, rTPJ, and vmPFC, digital social connection was associated with reduced depressive symptoms one year later. These results emphasize the importance of individual differences in how adolescents’ brains respond to rejected peers in shaping the impact of online experiences on their mental well-being.
Infographic
The article can be found here