An average consumer spends over 2 and a half hours on social media every day. Information and communication technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), augmented, and virtual reality have become part of everyday life and continue to evolve at a fast pace as they shape consumers’ experiences of products, services, and brands (Hoyer et al., 2020; Pantano and Scarpi, 2022; Puntoni et al., 2021; Zarantonello and Schmitt, 2023). An emerging body of work explores the relationship between ‘technology’ and ‘well being’ with major marketing journals including Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Consumer Affairs and Journal of Interactive Marketing featuring special issues furthering understanding of the topic (Benvenuti, Scarpi and Zarantonello, 2023). Studies are emerging that explicitly explore our understanding of how features of social media can have an impact on consumer wellbeing. For example, how the motivating factors behind the use of Augumented Reality (AR) face filters can have both a positive and negative impact on consumer well-being (Javornik et al., 2022).
The COVID-19 pandemic accerelated organizations’ digital transformation rapidly (Guenzi and Nijssen 2021). Accordingly, the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) such as social media and video conferencing have become a vital part of domestic and international marketing and sales operations (e.g., Adeniji and Igarashi 2022). Although it is evident that these technologies bring many benefits to organisations, such as efficiency and efficacy (e.g. Bharadwaj and Shipley 2020), technologies are also known to affect peoples’ technostress – stress that comes from using work-based technology (Tarafdar, Cooper and Stich 2019). Therefore, new research is required to understand the impact of social media and online technology on wellbeing. Such research may have a consumer, organisational, or a business-to-business focus.
A successful PhD applicant will be expected to have an existing understanding of emerging social media channels and/or other online technologies and their dynamics. You will be expected to conduct a literature review broadly across areas of wellbeing in marketing and societal wellbeing to uncover the gaps in the literature and understand priority areas of concern that must be addressed. Based on this literature review, you would select an appropriate mixed-method research design to address these gaps in our current knowledge. Such methods may include: Netnography, interviews, surveys, and experimental research design. Your PhD will eventually provide a contribution to knowledge on wellbeing within social media and may have practical implications for future social media legislation, policy, and/or education within the UK and beyond (e.g. international marketing).
You will be guided in your studies by an expert supervisory team with knowledge of innovative technology, social media, wellbeing, and online research methods. Edinburgh Napier’s Marketing Group offers a collegiate research environment in order to undertake this research with a specific wellbeing in marketing research group. There will also be regular opportunities to present your research within our research group, at the university’s internal conference, and funding to support presentation at international research conferences.
This opportunity is only open to full-time PhD applicants.
Applicant interviews will take place on the 7th of July 2023.
Academic qualifications
A first degree (at least a 2.1) ideally in a Marketing-Related Subject Area with a good fundamental knowledge of Social Media Channels and Societal Wellbeing.
English language requirement
IELTS score must be at least 6.5 (with not less than 6.0 in each of the four components). Other, equivalent qualifications will be accepted. Full details of the University's policy are available online Application process (napier.ac.uk).
Essential attributes:
- Experience of fundamental marketing theory and research methods
- Competent in methodological research design and undertaking mixed-methods research
- Knowledge of social media channels and societal wellbeing
- Good written and oral communication skills
- Strong motivation, with evidence of independent research skills relevant to the project
- Good time management
Desirable attributes:
- Use of software (such as NVivo, SPSS, AMOS, Python, R) for data analysis
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