Online misunderstandings can also result from excessive clarity

t is often assumed that online discussions escalate because people become less socially concerned when they are anonymous, or because online messages are unclear and easily misunderstood. In her PhD-dissertation, which she defended on September 22, Carla Roos reveals that the opposite is often the case: online communication is sometimes so clear that it can make people appear antisocial.

Read More

Tired of Experts!

Many of us no longer perceive science as extraordinary. Institutionalized, commodified, within a couple of clicks distance, one could argue that science is just another industry. Thrilling through its failures more often than through its successes, science is revealed as an enterprise prone to bias and fraud, often governed by personal interests and embedded in […]

Read More

Countering negative stereotypes with positive stereotypes

People often enjoy casual chats, especially about others. Although these conversations may seem harmless, they facilitate escalation of conflict between groups. Hedy Greijdanus’ dissertation research investigated the possibility to de-escalate conflict by influencing both what people talk about and how they talk. Tomorrow, June 25th at 14.30, she will defend her thesis in the Academy Building.

Read More