Information School News

A written submission to the UK Government inquiry on children and young people's mental health, co-authored by Senior Lecturer Dr Paul Reilly, has been accepted and published. Based on the findings from a Wellcome Trust project, the report addresses the role of social media in raising awareness of mental health issues amongst these groups. The submission can be viewed here .

Senior Lecturer in Social Media & Digital Society Dr Paul Reilly is presenting two papers at the International Studies Association annual convention in Baltimore this week. Paul will be presenting at the panel entitled 'Social Media and Activism: Power and Resistance in the 21st Century' on Thursday 23rd of February. The first paper, authored by Paul, is entitled 'Twitter, affective publics and public demonstrations in divided societies: The 2014 and 2015 Ardoyne parade disputes in Northern Ireland.' Abstract: Can social media help facilitate peacebuilding in divided societies such as Northern Ireland? Are they safe spaces in which antagonistic groups are able to reconcile their differences and agree to work together for mutual benefit? This paper adds to this debate by examining how citizens used Twitter in response to the contentious Orange Order parade in the Ardoyne district of North Belfast. Twitter provided a platform for ‘affective publics’ who express

Doctoral student Wasim Ahmed recently presented about his PhD in a pub at a PubhD event. The concept is to use a whiteboard and a marker pen to explain your research in 10 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of questions. Wasim noted that the event is a great way to test out your public speaking and engagement skills and as a delegate it is a fantastic opportunity to learn something new. You can read more about PubhD on their website . 

PhD student Wasim Ahmed , in collaboration with  Chrysa Dagoula  from the Journalism Department have been awarded funding to hold an event related to social media in the summer of 2017. The workshop will be of interest to researchers from different research areas that are interested in social media research and effective usage. The workshop will cut across academic disciplines, and will provide an opportunity for formal and informal networking. 

Our PhD student Wasim Ahmed recently delivered a talk on his PhD research related to social media research ethics at the School of Health and Related Research. The talk was delivered as part of the Bite Size Guide to Research in the 21st Century on the 24th of January, 2017. The talk was recorded, and you can watch Wasim’s talk here .

The Information School is an international community of students and academics, and we are very proud of our cultural diversity. As well as being a part of the internationally renowned University of Sheffield, the Information School is a member of the global iSchools network and a part of the iCaucus, and we stand with these organisations in their response to recent political events regarding immigration. The iSchools network have released a statement regarding the President of the United States’ Executive Order on Immigration which can be read here . #WeAreInternational

Research Associate Dr Elisa Serafinelli has been published in volume 10 of the journal Photographies. Her article, entitled 'Analysis of Photo Sharing and Visual Social Relationships: Instagram as a case study' discusses how popular image-sharing social media platform Instagram can influence the way people see their own interpersonal social relationships. The article is availabile here .