About

During my studies I actually became more interested in the social psychological applications of technology and began to specialise in online communication. My undergraduate dissertation examined the use of memetic devices in online communities as a form of affiliative behaviour.

I completed my PhD at Sheffield Hallam in 2011 in which I examined the effect of technology such as Facebook on the way that we manage our social relationships. From Sheffield Hallam I worked at the Lincoln Social Computer Research Centre (LiSC), with whom I maintain strong collaborative links. My initial work with LiSC made use of behaviour associated with online social network sites applied to sleep therapy, and I have recently collaborated with colleagues in LiSC to look at the way social technology is used in the end of life process.I have been teaching at Sheffield Hallam in some capacity since 2007, and took up a permanent lectureship in Psychology in September 2014.

Human computer interaction
Cyberpsychology
Computer mediated communication

I am subject cluster coordinator and module lead for second year Individual Differences, however as with my research interests, my teaching interests falls across a number of disciplines. I am module leader for the second year Animal Psychology module which encompasses a wide range of psychological subjects. I lead a theme in the third year Health Psychology module, looking at how online health information can shape experiences of health conditions.

I also bring a cyberpsychology perspective to social processes taught as part of Social Psychology modules.

I would be interested in supervising research that looks at online health related behaviour.

Teaching

Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences

College of Social Sciences and Arts

I am a social psychologist, however I would also describe myself as a cyberpsychologist in that I am interested in online social processes and human computer interaction. My interests within this domain lie in self-disclosure, self-perception, and identity; together with individual differences examined in an online context. My previous work has looked at how social technology effects they ways in which we manage our social world, particularly with regards to friendships and relationships. I have examined the use of social media at festivals (Glastonbury), finding that individuals make “taste performances” in the way they interact with the acts on stage via social media, together with using mobile technology to co-ordinate themselves at the event.

A major interest is the application of cyberpsychology to health, particularly chronic health conditions including life-limiting illness. I have used social technology in the design and delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, and have examined the use of social media to share and search for health information. As mentioned above, my most recent research is examining the use of social technology in the end-of-life process, together with examining the psychological effects of technology which allows deceased individuals to leave messages for those that grieve for them.

Publications