PhD fellowships in the field of SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE: A large-scale study of social media as infrastructures for influence in national populations with a focus on false information (5+3)
The Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, in collaboration with the Independent Research Fund Denmark, invites applications for 1-2 fully funded PhD fellowships in SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE: A large-scale study of social media as infrastructures for influence in national populations with a focus on false information provided the necessary funding is available. The PhD fellowships are available as of 1 February 2024 for a period of up to three years (5+3). The candidates who are awarded one of the fellowships must commence his/her PhD degree programme on 1 February 2024.
The PhD fellowships are advertised within the field of Digital Media and Data Studies.
This collective Independent Research Fund Denmark (IRFD) project studies social media as infrastructures for influence in times of crises in which media are important information sources.The larger IRFD project’s major contributions are to create (1) new understanding of the characteristics of influence on social media and new typologies of actors, (2) new methods to investigate influential actors, and (3) empirical results on which demographic citizen profiles are affected and where on Facebook and YouTube, as well as how citizens experience being influenced by actors who use false information. The larger project is divided into four WPs with complementary aims:
WP1: To conceptualize and classify social media influence and influential actors of verified false content (VFC) to make their influence more visible.
WP2: To understand country variance in the demographic profile of citizens exposed to VFC compared to other content throughout the EU and how this VFC exposure is divided on topics and actors across demographic profiles, time and events.
WP3: To understand the demographic profile of citizens exposed to VFC on YouTube in Denmark, what kind of VFC actors is present in Danish citizens’ viewing sessions, and how they potentially exert influence e.g. compared to other types of content.
WP4: To understand the self-reported influence strategies and perceived influence of VFC actors, and what Danish citizens’ perceived influence of VFC on YouTube are.
The PhD call primarily targets the analysis of WP2 or WP3, but the candidate are encouraged to additionally choose to be part of the work in other WPs (especially WP4) fitting into a self-defined overall framework and RQ of the candidate’s PhD project application (see guidelines for the application format on the AU PhD school website). The candidate will be working as part of a larger team that has access to a Facebook exposure dataset provided by META (WP2) or with large-scale image/video analysis (WP3) and needs to document good proficiency in Python and statistical knowledge to carry out the analysis (e.g., by linking to your Github page in the CV).
Enrolment and place of work
The PhD student must complete the studies in accordance with the valid regulations for the PhD degree programme, currently the Ministerial Order of 27 August 2013 on the PhD degree programme at the universities: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/
Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/phdstudystructure/
Rules and regulations for the PhD degree programme at the Graduate School at Arts: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/
The PhD fellow will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, with the aim of completing a PhD degree at the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University.
The PhD student will be affiliated with the PhD programme ICT, Media, Communication and Journalism.
The PhD student’s place of work will be the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University. In general, the student is expected to be present at the school on an everyday basis.
The PhD degree programme is expected to include a lengthy research stay at a foreign institution, cf. Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme.
School of Communication and Culture’s research programme: http://cc.au.dk/en/research/research-programmes/
5+3 programme
When you apply for a 3-year PhD fellowship (5+3), you must have completed your two year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) no later than 31 January 2024.
The PhD fellow will be employed as a PhD student at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University. The terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (see section 6.1.4), as well as with the protocol to the agreement covering staff with university degrees in the state sector (see enclosure 5). The agreement and the protocol including amendments are available online: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/
Salary: http://phd.arts.au.dk/financing/salary-and-employment/salary-5-3/
How to apply
The application must include:
Please see a detailed description of the requirements for the application in the guide for the application facility: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/how-to-apply/
Application
If you require professional guidance regarding your application for the PhD fellowship please contact the PhD programme director at ICT, Media, Communication and Journalism: http://phd.arts.au.dk/about-us/contact/
For further information, please contact Professor Anja Bechmann, School of Communication and Culture, anjabechmann@cc.au.dk, phone + 45 51 33 51 38.
The application must be submitted in English.
All applicants must provide documentation of excellent communication skills in English which are considered essential, and you must therefore be able to read, write, and speak academic English fluently. English language requirement is comparable to a minimum of TOEFL 83 or IELTS 6.5. Please see this page for further information: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/english-test/
Applications for the PhD fellowship and enrolment in the PhD degree programme can only be submitted via the application form in Aarhus University’s web-based facility.
Deadline for applications: 1 October 2023 at 23.59 Danish time (CET/CEST).
Reference number: 2023-9
During the assessments, Aarhus University can conduct interviews with selected applicants.
