Characteristics and Consequences of Social Media Use by Teenagers

Within the Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Vital Citizens, there is a position opening for a PhD candidate. Security and resilience are not only determined by one’s immediate environment but also by one’s virtual environment and by the interactions between these two environments. The project is targeted at examining the factors underlying effective self-presentation in the social media by Rotterdam teenagers. In this project, (1) the linguistic and cognitive skills of a group of teenagers will be assessed via a battery of standardized tests, (2) their social media output will be analyzed using text-mining procedures, and (3) the impact of this output on their peers will be examined in controlled experiments. The overarching goal of the project is to examine the cognitive and linguistic factors underlying effective self-presentation in the social media.

The candidate is responsible for experimental design, task selection, data collection, data analysis, and writing scientific papers for leading international peer reviewed scientific journals. The PhD candidate will participate in scientific meetings and departmental presentations. Following a PhD training in de Graduate School, and follow specific courses and participation in international conferences is part of the position.

• preferably a degree in cognitive psychology or other relevant fields (e.g., computational linguistics, developmental psychology); a completed, relevant research Master is recommended;

• excellent writing skills;

• a strong drive to conduct research;

• experience or affinity with text mining;

• experience with experimental psychology;

• flexibility and stress resistance;

• excellent command of both Dutch and English;

• an open personality with excellent communication - and organizational skills

• ability to work well in a team, but also at a high degree of autonomy.

This is a four-year PhD-position (1,0 fte). The initial contract will be running for a term of 1 year, which - depending on performance – will be extended.

Additional conditions of employment for a PhD-position:

The Erasmus University offers a salary of € 2.222,- gross per month in the first year up to a maximum of  € 2.840,- gross per month in the final year in accordance with the Promovendus scale of CAO NU. Salary is based on a fulltime occupation. Objective of this temporary position is the production of a thesis leading to a PhD degree. Candidates are expected to submit a yearly progress report to the faculty’s standing committee for research.

The EUR has attractive employment conditions, which include a holiday allowance of 8.0%, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 232 hours leave per year based on a full-time appointment. In the case of an 8-hour workday, you build weekly 2 hours extra of leave on. Furthermore, the EUR is connected the ABP for pension provision and we provide partially paid parental leave. Also, employees can use EUR facilities, such as the Erasmus Sports Centre and the University Library.

Erasmus University Rotterdam is a modern, highly ranked, international research university, based in the dynamic and diverse city of Rotterdam. We were founded in 1913 and nowadays host 23.000 students. Our faculties and institutions work on global, national and local social challenges in the areas of: healthy development, wealth, governance, culture.

The quality of research at Erasmus University, named after Rotterdam-born humanist and theologian Erasmus, is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major universities rankings. On the lively, modern campus, students and scholars of more than 100 nationalities are constantly encouraged to develop their talents and meet their ambition. www.eur.nl/english

Faculty of Social Sciences

The Faculty of Social Sciences is home to a vast diversity of scientific disciplines: public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College, IHS, and two research institutes RISBO and DRIFT are linked to the faculty. This diversity is also reflected in the content of the (international) bachelor's and master's programs and in research. Our activities are always focused on people and society. At the FSS fundamental, internationally oriented research is of paramount importance. In addition, social research for professionals, policy makers, and the society is part of our research activities. FSS offers a stimulating research environment, and its researchers have received major national and international research grants. Appealing guest researchers and ambitious PhD candidates come along to conduct their research. Our education is small-scale and works with innovative forms of education such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Both the Dutch and English programs are highly ranked by students and alumni. FSS is home to over 2500 students and 300 staff-members.

Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Vital Citizens

The Erasmus University has recently launched three so-called Erasmus Initiatives, through which academic excellence and multidisciplinary collaboration in research is stimulated. One of these is the Vital Cities and Citizens project which aims to (i) to advance our understanding of the ways in which social and cultural transformations affect urban life - and (2) by doing so – to help cities thrive as places of inclusion, tolerance and cohesion, and better articulate the aspirations of their diverse, resilient and creative citizens. The Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens is a collaboration between the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS, coordinator), the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC), and the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS).

Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies (DPECS)

The department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies houses innovative and highly ranked educational bachelor- and master programs. With the innovative didactical approach of Problem-Based Learning, small-scale education was introduced in Rotterdam. Our researchers publish in highly ranked journals and belong to the top of their fields. The well-equipped Erasmus Behavioural Lab makes it possible to conduct innovative research, and to train students in research and professional competencies.