Latest updates
17 May 2024
Anaëlle Gonzalez was interviewed for the online magazine Causette to talk about the movement #Blockout2024 on social media and its impacts, relating to the broader topic of influencers’ political engagement. The article can be read here and here (in French).
9 May 2024
Laura Vandenbosch shared the findings of the MIMIc project in the University of Flanders podcast titled “Are we all getting unhappier from all perfect images on social media?”. Find out more about the episode at this [link](https://www.universiteitvanvlaanderen.be/podcast/worden-we-allemaal-ongelukkiger-van-al-die-perfecte-beelden-op-sociale-media; in Dutch).
27 April 2024
Anaëlle Gonzalez was interviewed for the online newspapers 20minutes on the topic of influencers, parasocial interactions and sect-like behaviors. The article can be read [here](link: https://www.20minutes.fr/high-tech/by-the-web/4088072-20240427-tiktok-influenceurs-comme-ophenya-ligne-fine-entre-derive-sectaire-relation-parasociale) (in French).
1 March 2024
Anaëlle Gonzalez was interviewed for an online newspaper article to talk about the phenomenon of “Sephora Kids”, and the broader topic of children influencers. The article can be read [here](https://www.dna.fr/magazine-lifestyle/2024/03/01/elles-ont-10-ans-et-veulent-du-retinol-les-sephora-kids-envahissent-tiktok; in French).
6 December 2023
Gaëlle Vanhoffelen was interviewed by Veto, the student journal of KU Leuven, about the results of the paper “BeReal, Be Happy? Examining the relationships between authentic self-presentations on BeReal and adolescents’ self-esteem” which was conducted within the MIMIc project. The article can be read via this [link](https://www.veto.be/onderzoek/onderzoeker-ku-leuven-vindt-verband-tussen-bereal-en-je-zelfbeeld-het-kan-jezelf-versterken-als-je-zoekende-bent/337266?fbclid=IwAR1w98Fvyj91bwks_LAZkd71GGishIwvm4o3oear-tOvT8tlOs8iKIgnBDY; in Dutch).
5 July 2023
Anaëlle Gonzalez invited by the Collective AVI for a live conversation on Twitter to discuss the latest research on influencers.
Anaëlle Gonzalez was invited in July 2023 by the Collective AVI (an association for the victims of influencers’ malpractices) to participate in a live conservation on Twitter Spaces. With the hosts, she discussed the current state of research on influencers and their potential impact on their audience, and the latest findings from the MIMIc content analyses on influencers. The discussion was targeted at the general public and the audience could participate and ask questions. The recording of the conversations can now be accessed ( Link; in French).
1 June 2023
Anaëlle Gonzalez talked about young researchers’ well-being in a series of podcast
Anaëlle Gonzalez participated in discussions on the well-being of young researchers in two podcasts targeted at students and young scholars. In the first episode, as part of the KU Leuven mental health matters podcast series, she shared her experience on how to cope with perfectionism and the fear of failure ( Link; in English). Anaëlle also featured in an episode of the ICA (International Communication Association) podcast series ‘GrowingUpCom’ to further explore young scholars’ experiences of insecurities and rejection ( Link; in English).
1 May 2023
Anaëlle Gonzalez presented some results of the MIMIc project in the DIGISOC podcast.
In 2023, Anaëlle Gonzalez participated in the podcast of the KU Leuven Digital Society Institute (DIGISOC).The podcast deals with how research can contribute to a positive digital society. In her episode, Anaëlle presented some findings from the MIMIc project, and explained the importance of studying the role of entertainment media in adolescents’ political development. The podcast can be found [here](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/digisoc/episodes/Social-Media-and-the-Political-Self---Analle-Gonzalez-e27ek6m; in English).
3 April 2023
Assoc. Prof. Laura Vandenbosch - Interview ERC
Assoc. Prof. Laura Vandenbosch was interviewed by the European Research Council on 3 April 2023. In the interview, she presented the goals of the project and the ongoing research that has been conducted since its start in 2020.
8 April 2022
Assoc. Prof. Bojana Lobe - guest on the Slovenian radio show Podobe znanja
Assoc. Prof. Bojana Lobe was a guest on the Slovenian radio show Podobe znanja (Radio Ars) on 8 April 2022. In the show, she presented the findings of research on the use of digital technologies among children and adolescents from ongoing EU KIDS Online research, the Youth on the Net research, KiDiCoTi, and the international MIMIc project, the first results of which will be available in the near future.
2 February 2022
Anaëlle Gonzalez invited by Institute of Teaching and Education of Lille, France (INSPé) for a guest Lecture on youth and media.
Anaëlle Gonzalez was invited in 2022 by the Institute of Teaching and Education of Lille, France (INSPé) to deliver a guest lecture on the role of the media in the lives of today’s youth. The lecture was targeted at the staff of the French National Education and students intending to work in the field of education. Titled “Growing up in a digital world: A project to understand the role of (social) media in the lives of adolescents”, the lecture gave some insights on the first results of the MIMIc project. The entire lecture, which was recorded, can now be accessed ( Link; in French).
6 September 2021
Jasmina Rosič presented the aims of the MIMIc project newspaper Delo
Jasmina Rosič was interviewed by one of the most-read Slovenian newspapers Delo. She talked about her experience of living in Belgium and presented the aims of the MIMIc project and her own research within the project. ( Link; in Slovenian).