Mariek M. P. Vanden Abeele

Mariek M. P. Vanden Abeele (PhD, U of Leuven) is Associate Professor in Digital Culture at imec-mict, Ghent University (Belgium). Mariek combines media psychological and media sociological perspectives to understand the role of digital media use in everyday life and society. She received a 2020 European Research Council Starting Grant for her work on Digital Wellbeing, and leads several projects on this topic and digital disconnection. Mariek’s work has been published in leading journals in the field of Communication Sciences, such as Communication Theory, Mobile Media & Communication, New Media & Society and Media Psychology. Mariek has received awards for both her teaching and her research output. In 2018, Tilburg University recognized Mariek’s accomplishments by appointing her as fellow of the Tilburg University Philip Eijlander Diversity (PED) program, a program dedicated to accelerate the careers of extra-ordinary talented female scholars. Mariek is currently also the elected chair of the ICA Mobile Communication Division of the International Communication Association. 

Domains of expertise

  • Media psychology
  • Media sociology
  • Digital culture
  • Media effects

Selected projects & research platforms

  • Project DISCONNECT is a research project funded by a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (grant agreement nr. 950635) that aims to unravel the science behind digital well-being and digital disconnection, so that society can better support individuals on their quest towards a healthier relationship with digital technology. https://disconnect.ugent.be/
  • Project DISCONNECT2CONNECT is a research project funded by the Flemish Science Foundation that aims to examine the effectiveness of digital disconnection strategies in the work, school and home context. The project achieves this aim by developing a comprehensive digital disconnection model, and validating this model to find out what works when, why & for whom. http://digitaalwelbevinden.be/
  • Project COSTOF24/7 is a research project funded by the Flemish Science Foundation that aims to examine the cognitive and affective costs of the 24/7 lifestyle, with the ulterior aim to gain insight into how this lifestyle may contribute to the development of burnout.

Selected publications

  • Vanden Abeele, M. M. P., Vandebosch, H., Koster, E. H., De Leyn, T., Van Gaeveren, K., de Segovia Vicente, D., ... & Baillien, E. (2024). Why, how, when, and for whom does digital disconnection work? A process-based framework of digital disconnection. Communication Theory, 34(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtad016
  • Vanden Abeele, M. M. P., Halfmann, A., & Lee, E. W. (2022). Drug, demon, or donut? Theorizing the relationship between social media use, digital well-being and digital disconnection. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.007
  • Vanden Abeele, M. M. P. (2021). Digital Wellbeing as a Dynamic Construct, Communication Theory, 31(4), 932–955. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaa024

Work details