DIGITALIZATION
BA1 SEM2 COMMUNICATIEWETENSCHAPPEN KUL
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LECTURE ONE ..................................................................................................... 9
DR. JASMINA ROSIČ - WHEN IS DIGITAL MEDIA USE HARMFUL OR BENEFICIAL FOR
ADOLESCENTS’ DEVELOPMENT? .........................................................................................9
Effects of digital media on adolescents’ mental health, social, and cognitive development ...............9
adolescence .......................................................................................................................................... 9
adolescence and digital media use .......................................................................................................... 9
effects of digital media use .................................................................................................................... 12
when is digital media use harmful or beneficial for adolescents’ development? ......................................... 12
LECTURE TWO ................................................................................................... 21
LARA SCHREURS – SOCIAL MEDIA LITERACY: INSIGHTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR
ADOLESCENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH ....................................................................................... 21
Social media literacy: insights and implications for adolescents’ mental health ............................. 21
social media and adolescents’ well-being............................................................................................... 22
a need to intervene ............................................................................................................................... 22
what does research say? ....................................................................................................................... 22
Social media literacy ................................................................................................................... 23
the smile-model ................................................................................................................................... 23
‘life without a filter’ – campaign .............................................................................................................. 24
Empowerment ............................................................................................................................ 24
the moderating role of social media literacy ............................................................................................ 24
the predictive role of social media literacy .............................................................................................. 25
affective social media literacy ................................................................................................................ 25
Development .............................................................................................................................. 25
formal development through a class-room based intervention.................................................................. 25
Vibe check: format ...................................................................................................................... 26
vibe check: reach and impact ................................................................................................................ 27
impact evaluation of the vibe check........................................................................................................ 27
preliminary conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 27
audience heterogeneity ......................................................................................................................... 28
Audience heterogeneity............................................................................................................... 28
who experiences “digital flourishing” ...................................................................................................... 28
developmental changes & digital flourishing? .......................................................................................... 28
digital divide in digital flourishing? .......................................................................................................... 29
identifying trajectories (Research question 1) .......................................................................................... 29
Who is more likely to flourish digitally ........................................................................................... 30
LECTURE THREE ................................................................................................ 30
LAURA VANDENBOSCH – BODY IMAGE IN TIMES OF LIKES.................................................. 30
Public discourse ......................................................................................................................... 30
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Are social media ruining our lives? (appel et al., 2020) ................................................................... 31
social media use and narcissism (appel et al., 2020) ................................................................................ 31
social media use and academic achievement (appel et al., 2020) ............................................................. 32
academic achievement has been declining in Flanders → older generations are “smarter” → cause: Covid?
Smartphone? ....................................................................................................................................... 32
social media use and well-being ............................................................................................................ 32
Digital media: opportunity or threat? ............................................................................................ 33
case study: appearance-focused social media uses ................................................................................ 33
Influencers ................................................................................................................................. 33
study 1: influencers............................................................................................................................... 33
Peers ......................................................................................................................................... 34
study 2: Posting and viewing ideals survey .............................................................................................. 34
study 3: datadonation ........................................................................................................................... 34
Interviews with adolescents ........................................................................................................ 35
Body dissatisfaction, & social media ............................................................................................ 36
Which effects has research found? .............................................................................................. 36
trend 1: differences between social media platforms ............................................................................... 36
trend 2: features unique to social media ................................................................................................. 37
Who is using social media ........................................................................................................... 37
example gender .................................................................................................................................... 37
The chicken or the egg? ............................................................................................................... 37
trend 3: unpacking positive content ........................................................................................................ 38
LECTURE FOUR ................................................................................................. 39
BRAHIM ZAROUALI - ADVERTISING LITERACY ..................................................................... 39
Advertising literacy...................................................................................................................... 39
children as a target group ...................................................................................................................... 39
a battle of perspectives ......................................................................................................................... 40
Advertising literacy...................................................................................................................... 40
development of advertising literacy ........................................................................................................ 41
factors influencing advertising literacy .................................................................................................... 41
An overview of traditional and nontraditional formats.................................................................... 42
tv commercials..................................................................................................................................... 42
advergames ......................................................................................................................................... 42
in-game advertising ............................................................................................................................... 42
banner ads ........................................................................................................................................... 42
product placement ............................................................................................................................... 43
social media ads................................................................................................................................... 43
google ads (search engine advertising) ................................................................................................... 43
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native ads ............................................................................................................................................ 43
pre-roll ads, and mid-roll ads ................................................................................................................. 43
influencer marketing ............................................................................................................................. 43
Improving advertising literacy: disclosures ................................................................................... 43
Improving advertising literacy: literacy programs .......................................................................... 44
BRAHIM ZAROUALI - ADVERTISING LITERACY AMONG ADOLESCENTS ................................ 44
Literature review: advertising literacy ........................................................................................... 44
Literature review: awareness of data collection ............................................................................ 45
Literature review: institutional privacy protection.......................................................................... 45
methodology ........................................................................................................................................ 46
Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 47
LECTURE FIVE ................................................................................................... 48
BABETTE HERMANS – SCROLLING PAST THE FACTS? FACT-CHECKING IN A DIGITAL MEDIA
ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................................. 48
Misinformation and fact-checking ................................................................................................ 48
Fake news? ................................................................................................................................ 48
a brief history ........................................................................................................................................ 48
Rise of fact-checking ................................................................................................................... 49
history ................................................................................................................................................. 49
structures ............................................................................................................................................ 50
Fact-check process .................................................................................................................... 51
1.choosing claims................................................................................................................................. 51
2.contact speaker ................................................................................................................................. 51
3.tracing claims .................................................................................................................................... 52
4.experts.............................................................................................................................................. 52
5.show internally .................................................................................................................................. 52
6.show externally .................................................................................................................................. 52
Flow of information ..................................................................................................................... 52
Remediation ............................................................................................................................... 53
Chronology ................................................................................................................................. 53
News softening ........................................................................................................................... 54
Main finding ................................................................................................................................ 54
Fact-checking on tiktok ............................................................................................................... 54
Typology ..................................................................................................................................... 54
1.engaging narrator ............................................................................................................................... 55
2.information dump .............................................................................................................................. 55
3.static note ......................................................................................................................................... 55
4.invisible narrator ................................................................................................................................ 56
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Fact-checking on Tiktok............................................................................................................... 56
LECTURE SIX ..................................................................................................... 56
TIM SMITS – OUR SOCIAL MEDIA DIET ................................................................................. 56
Food communications research @MIPlab .................................................................................... 56
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 57
persuasion = eyeballs*power-(literacy) ................................................................................................... 57
exposure is systemic and not a ‘collection of ads’ ................................................................................... 58
Policy advice belgian’s superior health council ............................................................................. 58
solution ............................................................................................................................................... 59
what about -16 and the digital world? ..................................................................................................... 60
Food advertising volume ............................................................................................................. 60
The “physical” food environment ................................................................................................. 61
so, how effective are such persuasive cues and the advertising budget? ................................................... 62
Digital/ social media and nutrition................................................................................................ 62
social media and nutrition ..................................................................................................................... 63
1.qutteina et al. (2019) .......................................................................................................................... 63
2.qutteina et al. (2022) .......................................................................................................................... 64
can we use digital/ social media for positive interventions? ...................................................................... 64
LECTURE SEVEN ................................................................................................ 65
ANAËLLE GONZALEZ – HUMAN AND AI INFLUENCERS AS MORAL AND POLITICAL
INTERMEDIARIES: .............................................................................................................. 65
DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF INFLUENCERS ................................................... 65
Short History of Influencers ......................................................................................................... 65
What exactly are social media influencers? .................................................................................. 65
Differences between celebrities, Athletes, and Influencers ........................................................... 65
Fuzzy categories ......................................................................................................................... 66
Platforms ................................................................................................................................... 66
Key Theories of Psychological Influence ....................................................................................... 66
1.source credibility theory ..................................................................................................................... 66
2.two-Step-Flow of Communication ....................................................................................................... 67
3.parasocial Interaction and Relationships ............................................................................................. 67
4.social Learning Theory ........................................................................................................................ 67
INFLUENCERS AS POLITICAL INTERMEDIARIES: CONTENT AND EFFECTS ........................... 68
Relevance of Influencers’ Political Engagement ............................................................................ 68
Entertainment and Lifestyle-based Influencers and Celebrities ..................................................... 68
Two-step Flow of Communication Model ..................................................................................... 68
Agenda setting theory .................................................................................................................. 69
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Framing theory............................................................................................................................ 69
How to define what is ‘political’ ................................................................................................... 69
Celebrity type ............................................................................................................................. 69
1.data collection................................................................................................................................... 70
2.sample.............................................................................................................................................. 70
3.codes ............................................................................................................................................... 70
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 71
From explicit endorsement to issue-aligned political signaling ...................................................... 71
Political endorsements and transparency .................................................................................... 72
example: Maria Comstock ..................................................................................................................... 72
Empirical illustration: Influencers and Adolescents ...................................................................... 72
characteristics of influencers’ political content ....................................................................................... 72
Influencers as role models .................................................................................................................... 72
Documented (political) relationships ........................................................................................... 72
Reciprocal associations .............................................................................................................. 73
study 1: political self-efficacy................................................................................................................. 73
study 2: political interest ....................................................................................................................... 73
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 74
Take-aways ................................................................................................................................ 74
INFLUENCERS AS MORAL AND VALUE INTERMEDIARIES: CONTENT AND EFFECTS ............. 74
Beyond politics: influencers as value and moral intermediaries ..................................................... 74
examples ............................................................................................................................................. 75
Values and morality in influencers’ instagram content .................................................................. 75
Two perspectives on influencer influence ..................................................................................... 75
Future directions: virtual and AI influencers .................................................................................. 76
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 76
LECTURE EIGHT ................................................................................................. 76
SANDY CLAES- WHEN NEWS VISUALS PRETEND TO BE CERTAIN 01. WHAT ARE NEWS
VISUALS ............................................................................................................................ 76
Problem ..................................................................................................................................... 77
02 DATA VISUALISATION .................................................................................................... 77
“The purpose of visualisation is insight, not pictures” ................................................................... 78
Data visualisation examples ........................................................................................................ 78
CHALLENGE: How to engage non-experts? Possible response: Storytelling ................................... 79
narrative visualization ........................................................................................................................... 79
data comics ......................................................................................................................................... 79
CHALLENGE: How data visualisation can lie ................................................................................. 79
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03 DATA HUMANISM – CONNECTING HUMANS WITH DATA ................................................ 80
Possible response: data art – connecting humans with data through shared experiences examples:
.................................................................................................................................................. 80
urban visualization ................................................................................................................................ 80
physicalizations .................................................................................................................................... 81
CHALLENGE: Data visualisation appears to be certain – but is often not! ....................................... 82
04 REPRESENTING UNCERTAINTY ...................................................................................... 82
possible response: Quantitative representation ...................................................................................... 82
possible response: Qualitative representation ........................................................................................ 83
possible response: show the complexity ................................................................................................. 83
possible response: Use interaction ........................................................................................................ 84
Case study: VRT NWS.................................................................................................................. 84
Take aways ................................................................................................................................. 86
LECTURE NINE .................................................................................................. 87
EVA GROSEMANS – INVESTIGATING THE BLURRING LINES BETWEEN VIDEO GAMES AND
GAMBLING ........................................................................................................................ 87
Prevalence of video gaming ......................................................................................................... 87
Positive effects of video games .................................................................................................... 88
Experiences ................................................................................................................................ 88
eudaimonic game experiences .............................................................................................................. 88
Negative effects of video games................................................................................................... 89
GAMBLIFICATION OF VIDEO GAMES ................................................................................... 90
Simulated gambling .................................................................................................................... 90
Pathway model? ......................................................................................................................... 91
Gambling streams ...................................................................................................................... 91
harmful content? .................................................................................................................................. 92
RESEARCH QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 93
METHOD ............................................................................................................................ 93
Survey ........................................................................................................................................ 93
RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 94
STUDY 1: CROSS SECTIONAL ............................................................................................. 95
Why do you buy loot boxes? ......................................................................................................... 95
But are they correlated? .............................................................................................................. 95
STUDY 2: LONGITUDINAL ................................................................................................... 96
direction of effects? .............................................................................................................................. 96
Behaviour over time .................................................................................................................... 97
Longitudinal model ..................................................................................................................... 97
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GENERAL CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 98
EXAM ................................................................................................................ 98
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LECTURE ONE
DR. JASMINA ROSIČ - WHEN IS DIGITAL MEDIA USE HARMFUL OR BENEFICIAL
FOR ADOLESCENTS’ DEVELOPMENT?
EFFECTS OF DIGITAL MEDIA ON ADOLESCENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH, SOCIAL, AND
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
ADOLESCENCE
Why do we focus on adolescence for research?
It is a developmental period (from age 12-18) with significant developmental tasks:
• Autonomy = individual development of independence from the parents
→ You learn to make decisions and manage to live more independent compared to
childhood
• Intimacy = the capability to develop, maintain & terminate close and meaningful
relationships with others
• Identity = when individuals establish self-reassurance regarding who they are as a
person & who they want to become
These developmental changes take place in adolescence
• Social changes
- Contribute to adolescents’ autonomy from their parents because they seek social
interactions/ support with peers
- Peers become central attachment figures
- Peer relationships become more intimate, disclosive and supportive
→ This results in peer groups / cliques
- This socialization with peers refines their social skills and develops intimacy
• Emotional changes
- Contribute to adolescents’ more organized, complex, and consistent view of their
personal identity
- Individuals define their values, and beliefs, and moral reasoning skills increase
→ More complex than childhood
• Cognitive developmental changes
- Brain development lead to more complex , advanced, and abstract thinking
- Increased cognitive self-regulation, more sophisticated emotional coping strategies,
and mature decision- making skills
- Contributing to identity and autonomy development
ADOLESCENCE AND DIGITAL MEDIA USE
Digital media have become an ubiquitous part of adolescents’ everyday activities
→ Adolescents partially address the challenges that come with developmental changes through
digital media use.
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Digital Media
= A range of digital devices (smartphones, tablets, computers,..) that support a variety of
activities through specific applications, such as social media use, gaming, email
communication, and streaming
Adolescents aged 13-17 have near-universal access to digital media:
• 95% has a smartphone
• 88% has access to a computer
• 83% uses a gaming console
• 70% has access to a tablet
They use digital media for:
• Social (connecting with friend,..)
• Cognitive (browsing for school-related purposes, search info,..)
• Emotional (finding support,..)
• Entertaining purposes (creating or watching fun videos,..)
Because of digital media is digital communication the preferred mode of communication with
others
“Human-to-human social interaction via digital devices, including mass personal and
interpersonal “active” (e.g., posting on social media, texting, or chatting while gaming) and
“passive” communication uses (e.g., scrolling, browsing for information related to schoolwork
or to stay informed about world events).
Interpersonal communication = One to one relationships
→Talking/ texting to an individual
Mass personal communication Content has access to broader audiences
→Television, social media,..
Nearly half of adolescents communicate online ‘almost constantly’
How does this digital communication occur?
→ through social media:
• 90% using YouTube, 63% using TikTok, 61% using Instagram, and 55% using Snapchat
- This is in general, we can see that younger adolescents use Snapchat more and
older adolescents Instagram
- Most of adolescents use digital communication
• Video gaming (83%)
• Other channels
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