PhD A.B. (Arnout) Boot

Below is a brief of the dissertation:

As digital media have become more and more ubiquitous, they are now an integral part of everyday life. They shape how individuals communicate, process information, and form opinions about the world. Due to the speed with which the internet and social media have been implemented in our society, ever evolving, there is an inevitable delay between these technologies coming into practice and a scientific understanding of their impact on the human condition. This PhD thesis, titled Cognitive and Linguistic Aspects of Digital Media, examines the intersection of cognition, language, and digital media through a combination of archival, experimental, and survey-based research. 
Subtopics include linguistic effects of message-length restrictions in online communication and social messaging, cognitive effects of social cues and opinionated online environments within social media, personal media use and information processing during the COVID-19 pandemic and vulnerability to accept and endorse conspiratorial misinformation from the internet. The findings have relevance for online journalism, platform design, media literacy, and the mitigation of misinformation, offering valuable perspectives on how individuals navigate the complexities of the digital information landscape.