PhD defence A.K. (Anne) van Eldik

Below is a brief summary of the dissertation:

Nowadays, the city is no longer confined to offline experiences; there are also online opportunities for experience and engagement. Earlier research shows that the experience of one’s physical and social living environment helps shape part of how one perceives oneself and their place in the world. But what role does the online environment play in this context for adolescents who are avid users of social media and who use this environment to construct and negotiate their identities? And what is the role of the super-diverse character of a big city such as Rotterdam? Using Rotterdam as a case study, this dissertation focuses on the question of how and to what extent the social media use of Rotterdam adolescents contributes to the construction of their urban identity – an identification with and sense of belonging to the city and its inhabitants. By empirically exploring this question from a variety of angles and practices, ranging from the content and networks of local influencers to the process and results of adolescents’ own video production, this dissertation aims to create a broad understanding of the phenomenon.