Dr. Kathrin Karsay

Communication Scientist

I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna (Austria). I dedicate my professional life to exploring, researching, and sharing knowledge on how to successfully navigate the mediated world we live in.

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LATEST PUBLICATIONS

The Political Role of Social Media Influencers: Strategies, Types, and Implications for Democracy.

von Sikorski, C, Merz, P., Heiss, R., Karsay, K., Naderer, B. Schmuck, D. (2025)

American Behavioral Scientist. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642251344208

Adolescents’ Sexualized Self-Presentations on Social Media: A Cross-National Data Donation Study.

Vandenbosch, L., Konings, F., Fitzgerald, K., Fardouly, J., Beelen, E., Tabruyn, T., Karsay, K., & Maes, C. (2025)

Media Psychology, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2025.2509500

Inspiration for Perspiration? Two Experiments Testing the Psychological Effects of Fitspiration.

Karsay, K., Thomas, M. F., & Matthes, J. (2025).

Psychology of Popular Media. 14(3), 339–353. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000605

CURRICULUM VITAE

I started my academic journey in the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna, where I earned my Ph.D. in 2018. During my doctoral research, I visited KU Leuven (Belgium), Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), and the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands).

After my maternity leave in 2019, I began a postdoctoral fellowship at KU Leuven, supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Later, I became Assistant Professor in Media and Health Communication within their Media Psychology Lab. Since September 2023, I have returned to the University of Vienna's Department of Communication as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.

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Illustration hanging in my office.

RESEARCH

Reseach

My research team and I study how digital media influence health, well-being, and identity, particularly among adolescents and emerging adults. This research covers a broad spectrum of topics and methodologies - some of which are listed here.

Google Scholar Profile

We study platforms like TikTok and Instagram, short-form entertainment, and influencer communication.

We investigate how digital media contribute to mental health awareness and online self-diagnosis in public health contexts.

We study both engagement and disengagement with mobile media, including digital disconnection, algorithmic competence, and policy interventions.

We explore how media use affects psychological well-being, body image, social relationships, procrastination, school performance, and identity development.

We employ diverse methods, including eye tracking, scale development, panel surveys, longitudinal modeling, content analysis, and mobile experience sampling.

Past and ongoing research projects.
Click on the links below to visit the project websites.

HISM: Health Influencers on Social Media

2022-2026

https://www.hism-fwf.com

PROMISE: Improved Social Media Policies for Young People

2025-2028

https://chanse.org/promise

AWARE: Mental Health Portrayals on Social Media

2024-2027

https://www.aware-project.com

GRANTS AND AWARDS

Grants (selection)

2024-2027
Project: “AWARE: Mental Health Portrayals on Social Media & Implications on Adolescents' Awareness and Well-being."

FWF Austrian Science Funds; Principal investigator

In Collaboration with A.-L. Camerini and R. Wendt)

2023-2025
Project: “Digital well-being in an ‘always-on’ society: Investigating the interrelationships between digital disconnection and psychological well-being.”
KU Leuven; Principal investigator

2021-2023
Project: “Toward conceptual clarification and empirical evidence on the relationship between digital disconnection and psychological well-being”.
KU Leuven; Principal investigator

2022-2025
Project: “Health Influencers on Social Media: Who they are, what they post, and how they affect adolescents’ health” (PI: R. Heiss)
FWF Austrian Science Fund, Co-Principal investigator

2020-2023
Project “Social media use and adolescents’ well-being”. (PI: Jörg Matthes)

FWF Austrian Science Fund, Co-author

2019-2021
Postdoctoral fellowship for the project: “Digitizing Joy: The Role of Smartphone Use in Capitalizing Positive Life Events and Adolescents’ Psychological Wellbeing”

FWO Research Foundation- Flanders

2019-2020

Project: “Perfect picture, imperfect life? The relationship between personalized Instagram use and subjective life satisfaction – A linkage analysis.” (with B. Naderer and C. Peter)
Society of Communication (ÖGK), Principal investigator

2019-2019
Project: “Perception and effects of disclaimer labels on fashion images on body image.”
Vienna Municipal Department of Women’s Affairs (MA 57) and Women’s Health (MA 24) (with B. Naderer and C. Peter), Principal investigator

Awards (selection)

2025
Top Reviewer, ICA, Mobile Communication Division

2025
Top Student Paper Award, ICA, Mass Communication Division,; leading author: Elien Beelen (supervised PhD candidate)

2024

Best Paper Award, 3rd Place, Austrian Public Health Conference; leading author: Elena Engel (supervised PhD candidate)

2019
ICA Kyoon Hur Dissertation Award, International Communication Association (ICA), Mass Communication Division

2023
Reviewer Award, European Journal of Health Communication

2021
Top Student Paper Award, ICA, Children, Adolescents, and Media Division; leading author: Sarah Devos

2018
Award of Excellence, Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research

2018
Sowi-Doc.Award, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Vienna

2017
Top 3 Student Paper Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC), Communication Theory and Methodology Division