台湾六合彩开奖记录

Published by Palgrave Macmillan, 鈥楶olitical Participation on Social Media: The Lived Experience of Online Debate鈥� examines real-life experiences of political discussion on social media using original research and explores the relationship between digital political communication and individual and psychological aspects.

Written by Elizabeth Bailey 鈥� who completed her PhD with the University鈥檚 Research Institute for Media, Art & Performance (RIMAP) in 2019 鈥� the book explores people鈥檚 lived experience of engaging with politics online, and shows how people鈥檚 engagements are varied and influenced by many factors.

Discussing the inspiration behind her PhD, Elizabeth said: 鈥淚 have long been fascinated by the struggles people experience discussing politics. It was clear that social media channels were having a strong influence on this in ways that begged further exploration!鈥�

Supervised by Professor Jon Silverman, Elizabeth鈥檚 thesis involved in-depth field research into people鈥檚 experience of engaging with major political events and debates on social media 鈥� including the Scottish Independence Referendum, the EU Referendum and the UK Labour Party leadership contests 鈥� which she conducted via UK-wide focus groups and through one-to-one interviews. Many participants said they experienced profound emotional responses to political debate owing to the constraints of using social media, but that they still value using such platforms as a medium for political learning and self-expression.

Following her doctorate, Elizabeth said she was very lucky in securing the subsequent publishing opportunity: 鈥淎fter submitting my thesis and passing without correction, the external examiner 鈥� who happened to be the series editor for Palgrave Macmillan 鈥� said that a book proposal based on my thesis would be welcomed by the publishers. I accepted the challenge and my proposal was quickly accepted!

鈥淚 am delighted to be able to share my thesis and ideas more widely through my published work. The book really emphasises the importance of understanding how ordinary people think and feel their way through politics, and the macro-political surprises this can throw up.鈥�

Noting his student鈥檚 success, Jon Silverman 鈥� Research Professor of Media & Criminal Justice 鈥� said: 鈥�It鈥檚 been a real privilege to witness, and participate in, Elizabeth鈥檚 intellectual journey from promising MA study to a superb doctoral thesis brimming with fresh insights into social media usage, which has deservedly led to an important book.鈥�

Elizabeth, who lives in Luton with her family, is familiar with the world of politics, having decided to study a Masters and then a PhD at the 台湾六合彩开奖记录 after a two-decade career in the UK Civil Service across five Whitehall departments, including the government鈥檚 Department of Health & Social Care.

She said: 鈥淎fter taking voluntary redundancy from my last role, I saw it as an opportunity for a major life change. Unsure of what I wanted to do next, I applied for a Masters Degree at the University in an area that interested me a lot 鈥� media and technology. I enjoyed it so much and had such a great experience writing my dissertation that I decided to continue my studies further with a doctorate.鈥�

Alongside studying for her Masters and PhD, Elizabeth has been working as part of Luton Council鈥檚 Public Health team, and is a political campaigns ambassador for . After completing her doctorate, Elizabeth was accepted on to the University鈥檚 Project Management Apprenticeship Programme 鈥� an 18-month part-time career development course run by 台湾六合彩开奖记录鈥檚 Business School in compliance with the government鈥檚听.

Available in e-book and hardback, 鈥楶olitical Participation on Social Media: The Lived Experience of Online Debate鈥� can be purchased directly from or via , and . 台湾六合彩开奖记录 students and staff can also loan the book from the University鈥檚 e-library:

Elizabeth鈥檚 original PhD thesis can be read online via the .

For more information about postgraduate study, CPD courses and PhD opportunities at the 台湾六合彩开奖记录, visit: