PhD student, Gemma Rides, took on August’s Soc Dev Lab meeting!
Gemma provided the theoretical background to her PhD which focuses upon the social and physiological effects of adolescents’ interactions with ‘reactions’ on social networking sites. Gemma’s first study comprised focus groups with 11-15 year-olds where she found that ‘reactions’ (such as ‘likes’, ‘comments’ and ‘shares’) as well as the lack of these reactions are viewed as social currency and are impactful upon peer relationships and social status. As a lab, we provided feedback on her results and worked together to synthesise clear themes adopting a Thematic Analysis approach.
We were also the lucky audience of receiving the inside scoop on her upcoming studies! All shall be revealed in due course…
