Projects
Disconnect to connect: Towards a healthier relationship with digital technologies across work, school, and family contexts. Ghent University
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become indispensable in our work, school, and family environments. Despite benefits, recent research points at risks following from being ‘permanently connected’. Scholars and practitioners increasingly suggest ‘digital disconnection’ as a solution: By placing (temporary) limits on ICT usage, people might reclaim control over productivity, social relationships, and well-being. While the ...
REthinking MEdia literacy and DIgital Skills in Europe (REMEDIS) KU Leuven
Adopting an evidence-based approach to REthinking MEdia Literacy and DIgital Skills in Europe, REMEDIS seeks to provide a framework for evidence-based evaluative research of media literacy and digital skills. REMEDIS aims to inform practitioners and policymakers about so far severely underdeveloped evidence that links interventions around different types of media literacy and digital skills in different life domains to different types of ...
AFRISURGE: Transformative Heritage: politics, peacebuilding and digital restitution of cultural heritage in contemporary Northeast DRCongo Ghent University
International aid and peacebuilding agencies active in Africa often rely on customary leaders to implement interventions in local communities. Their activities reflect functionalist, compartmentalized and rigid understandings of African leadership reminiscent of the colonial era when local leaders were co-opted for purposes of indirect rule. Western misconceptions often complicate rather than solve conflicts and humanitarian problems, and ...
Patient-oriented, digital, preoperative and postoperative sexual advice for men with penile cancer and their partners KU Leuven
Problem: Recent in-depth research by our group into the sexual experience and educational needs of men confronted with the rare condition of penile cancer revealed two problems. On the one hand, these men have an unmet preoperative need for information about the possible impact of penile cancer and surgery on not only their physical functioning but also on their psychosocial and sexual functioning and well-being. On the other hand, men ...
Stumbling over wireless internet? Digital disconnection as a remedy for (techno)stress while maintaining positive outcomes of ICT usage by workers KU Leuven
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) significantly altered our working lives. They advanced effectiveness and flexibility, yet also fuel techno-invasion, techno-overload and decrease employee well-being. However, despite booming scientific research on ICTs use by employees, remarkably little is known about non/limited use. Therefore, this project develops insight in digital disconnecting to decrease negative outcomes while ...
Growing Up in Digital Europe Preparation Phase (GUIDEPREP). University of Antwerp
Moral orderings in talk about online sexual reputations: A qualitative study into digital youth cultures' struggles for a 'good' online reputation related to sexual, gendered, ethnic and religious identity intersections in Flanders Ghent University
In young people’ everyday life-worlds, online sexual reputations are becoming increasingly important to consider; digital technologies such as smartphone camera’ and social media can capture and distribute intimate and sexual experiences, often beyond the user’ control. Therefore, media literacy experts and organisations advise young people to carefully ‘anage’online reputations by warning for taking ‘exy’ or (semi-)nude pictures, etc.; a ...
Digital Media and Performance Orientations in Adolescents KU Leuven
Today’s adolescents grow up with social media. These media permit them to present themselves as
unique individuals. Although such authentic self-presentations are described as key for their identity
development, they have received little research attention. Moreover, they have univocally been
assumed to positively affect young users. Yet, a scarce number of studies together with insights from
motivational goal behavior ...
The digital PREconceptional Lifestyle assistant in FErtility treatment - a trustworthy toolbox KU Leuven
Fertility related problems occur in 9% of the Flemish population and cause considerate emotional and economic burden. Improving success and reducing the concomitant distress and discontinuation of fertility treatment is one of the most important research priorities in fertility care. Increasing evidence suggests that lifestyle factors (including mental well-being, physical activity and diet) are modifiable factors that contribute to improving ...