Sophie Lecheler
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solecheler.bsky.social
Sophie Lecheler
@solecheler.bsky.social

Professor of Political Communication - University of Vienna

Communication & Media Studies 51%
Political science 20%
With the official launch of the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital #Humanism on 19 Nov., the City of Vienna has demonstrated being the capital of #DigitalHumanism. 👏
The kick-off event provided valuable insights – from strategy of @wien.gv.at until its practical implementation in our DocCollege. ⤵️
Shaping the digital future: Presenting our College to the Public at the kick-off - dighumcollege Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism
With the official launch of our Vienna Doctoral College for Digital Humanism on 19 November, the City of Vienna has demonstrated being the capital of Digital Humanism. The event marks the transition f...
dighumcollege.at

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

Im Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects ist @univie.ac.at in Kommunikationswissenschaft heuer auf Platz 2 aufgestiegen. Weiterhin das bestplatzierte Institut unserer Universität. Ein starkes Zeichen, dank aller engagierten Kolleg:innen, Projektmitarbeiter:innen & Studierenden. 🤝

💖💖💖

Very proud!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎓 I can’t really believe I’m writing this, but… on November 14, I successfully defended my dissertation! 🥳✨

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

Neue Theodor Herzl-Dozentin: @oliveras.bsky.social, Journalistin und Redakteurin bei @derstandard.at, spricht in drei öffentlichen Vorlesungen über #Diversität, #Migration und Sprache im #Journalismus. 🗞️ Los geht es am 24.11., hier mehr dazu 👉 publizistik.univie.ac.at/aktuelles/ak...
Olivera Stajić ist Theodor Herzl-Dozentin 2025
Die Journalistin und "Standard"-Redakteurin Olivera Stajić spricht in drei öffentlichen Vorlesungen über Diversität, Migration und Sprache im Journalismus.
publizistik.univie.ac.at

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

🎓 I can’t really believe I’m writing this, but… on November 14, I successfully defended my dissertation! 🥳✨

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

Thanks to everyone who joined our inaugural PolCom Classics webinar with @rensvliegenthart.bsky.social !
🎥 The recording’s up on YouTube — see flyer for details.

Next up: @solecheler.bsky.social on Framing, now on Nov 6, from 12:00 - 13:00 CET.

📲 Register via the QR code or the link below

Meilenstein: Die Universität Wien ist erstmals unter den Top 100 im World University Ranking von @timeshighered.bsky.social - auf Platz 95! 🥳 Das stärkt Sichtbarkeit & internationale Vernetzung exzellenter Forschender und Studierender weltweit. #univie #THERanking 👉 www.univie.ac.at/aktuelles/pr...
Meilenstein: Die Universität Wien ist erstmals unter den Top 100 im World University Ranking von @timeshighered.bsky.social - auf Platz 95! 🥳 Das stärkt Sichtbarkeit & internationale Vernetzung exzellenter Forschender und Studierender weltweit. #univie #THERanking 👉 www.univie.ac.at/aktuelles/pr...
The Persuasiveness of Political Targeting.

That is the title of Xiaotong Chu's timely and important PhD dissertation which she defends today. Go Tong!🚀

Proud supervisors: @skruikemeier.bsky.social @solecheler.bsky.social @lukotto.bsky.social and 🙋

www.uva.nl/content/even...
De overtuigingskracht van politieke targeting
Xiaotong Chu promoveert op het proefschrift: 'The Persuasiveness of Political Targeting'. Promotoren zijn prof. dr. S. Kruikemeier en prof. dr. S.K. Lecheler. Copromotoren zijn dr. L.P. Otto en prof. ...
www.uva.nl

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

1/
I’m thrilled (and a little proud 🤗) to share my first single-authored publication!
It’s now out open access in Information, Communication & Society:
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1369...
Tackling (misleading) incivility online: a user-centric evaluation of different comment moderation strategies
Uncivil online comments, e.g., in the form of insults or misinformation, come with severe consequences for platforms, users, and democratic processes – making effective moderation essential. Howeve...
www.tandfonline.com

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

🚫📰 Can we use nudges to mitigate news avoidance?
Yes and no — it depends on what nudges we use!
Together with @hajoboo.bsky.social & @solecheler.bsky.social I wanted to test whether nudges can reduce news avoidance as limited news consumption—and to do so beyond established Western democracies. 🧵👇
The Role of Choice Architecture in Mitigating News Avoidance
News avoidance has become more common and is associated with negative democratic outcomes. However, only a handful of studies have explored solutions to reduce news avoidance, with nudges offering ...
www.tandfonline.com

Amazing, congratulations! 🎉
If you submit to one new exciting conference in 2026, this could be it:

@epssnet.bsky.social

Deadline Nov 7

New kid on the block, with the right value set 💪🏽

@sarahobolt.bsky.social
@simonhix.bsky.social

#polisky #Belfast

epssnet.org/belfast-2026/
EPSS 2026 Conference | June 18–20 | ICC Belfast, UK
Join top political scientists for the EPSS 2026 Annual Conference in Belfast. Submit papers, attend panels, and network with fellow researchers.
epssnet.org

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

🚨📝 New publication: Svenja Schäfer w/ Lea Gorski and PolCom members @hannahgreber.bsky.social + @solecheler.bsky.social explored whether solutions are effective in sustainability communication and examined the attribution of responsibility through an experiment. 🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1751...
Solutions that Move Us? The Role of Responsibility Framing in Audience Reactions to Sustainability Stories
Research on the effectiveness of solutions journalism in influencing self-efficacy, responsibility perception, and behavioral intentions has produced mixed results. While emotional responses to sol...
doi.org
Today @ #ViennaChildren'sUniversity 🧒
How can YOU stay safe on social media? 🤔
Our @solecheler.bsky.social & @amplanitzer.bsky.social, with @julianeidhardt.bsky.social & @allanhanbury.bsky.social, explored counter speech 🗣️ & algorithmic moderation 🤖 via roleplay, annotation games & a kindness wall 💛

Reposted by Anna María

Had so much fun at our workshop on incivility and content moderation, based on our @wwtf.at Digital Humanism project, at the Vienna children’s university today! @amplanitzer.bsky.social @allanhanbury.bsky.social @julianeidhardt.bsky.social 😎🫶🏼😆

Reposted by Sanne Kruikemeier

Big congratulations to Dr. @dbetakova.bsky.social, who defended her dissertation today with excellent results! Thank u so much to the reviewers @skruikemeier.bsky.social & @antoniskalog.bsky.social, & committee chair @desireeschmuck.bsky.social ! @hajoboo.bsky.social and I are more than proud. 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

⭐️

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

Another windowless room (but this time way bigger) in which I got to present first preliminary findings on how strategic politicians can *actually* be about their emotions in election campaigns

📷 @amplanitzer.bsky.social
What are the content-level characteristics of selectively avoided news? 🤔
@dbetakova.bsky.social presenting her impressive two-study research using computational text analysis and baysian modelling /w @solecheler.bsky.social & @hajoboo.bsky.social at an engaging #ICA25 panel on news avoidance 👏
@ipk-univie.bsky.social is wrapping up #ica25 in Denver!

From awards to withdrawn presentations, we‘ve had it all this year. Sending warm greetings & thoughts to all colleagues who could not participate 🫶✨

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

What kinds of content do users themselves want to see moderated on platforms? 👀
Surprisingly, it's less about the incivility of language and more about authorial intention, target vulnerability and platform affordances /w @solecheler.bsky.social, @pia-p.bsky.social & Svenja Schäfer 🙂 #ICA25 #PolComm
Our new book THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ATTACK POLITICS is out next month! 🔥📚

We offer a new look at negativity effects, via perceptions & evaluations🤔😱👿🤣

You can pre-order it with a nice 20% discount on the cover price (for paperbacks this makes it £32 or so)

Check out discount code & link in the flyer 👇
📰 Empathy in journalism - meant to connect us, but can it also divide?
@hannahgreber.bsky.social presents findings on the unintended side-effects of empathy-driven journalism at #ICA25 w/ @jesperstromback.bsky.social & @solecheler.bsky.social 👏

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

Welcome to the ICA conference!

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

Presenting in the coziest corner of #ICA25 including a weird neck tilt to see the screen ✅
w/ the one and only @andiisto.bsky.social, co-authored with @solecheler.bsky.social & Svenja Schäfer.

Come watch me do that move again!
📅 Monday, 10:30
📍 Mineral G (again)
🗣️ „Science on the Political Stage“
@polcomvienna.bsky.social at the #ica25, come see our presentations!

🥳🥳🥳🥳