Congratulations are in order for Dr. Heleen Dekoninck, who recently defended her dissertation in Communication Sciences at KU Leuven under the supervision of Desirée Schmuck!

In her dissertation, Heleen explored the media effects of greenfluencer content on young audiences. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including a creative digital field experiment on Instagram, she examined whether exposure to greenfluencer content can foster more pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors among youth. Her work not only advances our understanding of influencer communication and media effects but also sheds light on the role of social media in shaping environmental engagement and political socialization in the digital age.

Special thanks to the examination committee Neta Kligler-Vilenchik, Kathleen Beullens, Michaël Opgenhaffen, and Sophie Boerman for their thoughtful feedback and engaging discussion!

We’re excited to continue our collaboration with Heleen at the Vienna Media Change and Innovation Lab!