Personal profile
Personal information
Doug Parry is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and is part of the Media Psychology Group. He obtained his Phd in Socio-Informatics at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Before joining the Department of Communication Science, he was a Senior Lecturer in Socio Informatics in the Department of Information Science at Stellenbosch University and a visiting Research Fellow (2023, 2024) in the Methods Lab at The Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin.
Research
Doug is a computational communication scientist, and he adopts media psychological perspectives to research 1) the ways in which adolescents and young adults use digital media; 2) the potential effects that this behaviour can have on their cognition, mental health, and well-being; and 3) the knowledge and skills that enable them to thrive in a digital society.
In his research, Doug employs a range of quantitative research methods, including cross-sectional and intensive longitudinal surveys, online and field experiments, computational data collection (e.g., smartphone tracking, web scraping), and computational analysis techniques like natural language processing and machine learning. He also integrates meta-research approaches, like systematic reviews and meta-analyses, into his work. Doug is committed to open science and, where appropriate, he pre-registers his studies and ensures that data and materials are openly accessible.
He has authored 30+ journal articles, many of which have been published in leading journals like Nature Human Behaviour; Journal of Communication; Media Psychology; Technology, Mind and Behaviour; JAMA Pediatrics; Computers & Education; Behaviour Research Methods, and Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science.
Teaching
- Fall 2024: Problematic and Beneficial Effects of Media Use
- Fall 2024: Media Entertainment
- Fall 2024: Media Psychology for Impact
- Fall 2024: Marketing and Corporate Communication for Impact
- Spring 2025: New Media Challenges
Ancillary activities
- Stellenbosch University | Stellenbosch | External Research Associate | 2025-01-01 - 2027-12-31
Ancillary activities are updated daily
Academic qualification
Socio-Informatics, PhD, Stellenbosch University
Award Date: 10 Dec 2019
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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Social media and youth mental health: Simple narratives produce biased interpretations
Sewall, C. J. R. & Parry, D. A., Oct 2024, In: Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. 133, 7, p. 507-514 8 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile189 Downloads (Pure) -
Social media use and internalizing symptoms in clinical and community adolescent samples: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Fassi, L., Thomas, K., Parry, D. A., Leyland-Craggs, A., Ford, T. J. & Orben, A., Aug 2024, In: JAMA Pediatrics. 178, 8, p. 814-822 9 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile517 Downloads (Pure) -
Platform-controlled social media APIs threaten open science
Davidson, B. I., Wischerath, D., Racek, D., Parry, D. A., Godwin, E., Hinds, J., Linden, D. V. D., Roscoe, J. F., Ayravainen, L. & Cork, A. G., 2023, In: Nature Human Behaviour. 7, 12, p. 2054-2057 4 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Comment / Letter to the editor › Academic
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A systematic review and meta-analysis of discrepancies between logged and self-reported digital media use
Parry, D. A., Davidson, B. I., Sewall, C. J. R., Fisher, J. T., Mieczkowski, H. & Quintana, D. S., Nov 2021, In: Nature Human Behaviour. 5, 11, p. 1535-1547 13 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
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The role of depression in the discrepancy between estimated and actual smartphone use: A cubic response surface analysis
Sewall, C. J. R. & Parry, D. A., 2021, In: Technology, Mind, and Behavior. 2, 2, p. 178-186 9 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access
Courses
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Media Entertainment
Ranzini, G., Balint, K. E., Cabañas González, C. & Parry, D. 1/09/25 → 31/08/26
Course
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