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%

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!

🥳🥳🥳🥳

Reposted by Sophie Lecheler

I won something at #ica25 🥹❤️
🙂 Kicking off #ICA25 this week in beautiful Boulder, CO ⛰️
@amplanitzer.bsky.social presents our ongoing work on political information needs across neurodiverse cognitive profiles at the 2nd Disability, Communication, and Media Preconference w/ @solecheler.bsky.social & @hajoboo.bsky.social 👏
What a wonderful evening! Insights into inspiring teaching and doctoral research, a well-deserved birthday party and a fantastic concert of The Sound of Social Science:
vds-sosci.univie.ac.at/rising-voices/
Rising Voices
3 June 2025, Aula am Campus
vds-sosci.univie.ac.at

Reposted by Thomas M. Meyer

I look great in a hat so… It was a pleasure to celebrate the 5th birthday of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences - i miss working with excellent colleagues @evakoessner.bsky.social Roman Pfefferle @thomasmmeyer.bsky.social Emma Dowling & many more 🫶🏼🫶🏼 vds-sosci.univie.ac.at/your-benefit...

This was an easy job with such a great candidate! well done and congratulations! 🎉
It still feels surreal, but on June 3, I defended my dissertation! 🎓

SO grateful to my reviewers @solecheler.bsky.social & Silke Adam, committee chair @hajoboo.bsky.social, advisors @anniewald.bsky.social & @nicolarighetti.bsky.social, co-authors Paul Balluff & Nanda Wijermans, & Team! 🙏✨

#PhDone

Congratulations again! So well done!