Welcome Niklas Fritsche: Prosocial Design Network’s new Library Fellow
Niklas Fritsche joins Prosocial Design Network as Library Fellow
We’re really pleased to welcome Niklas Fritsche (he/him) as the Prosocial Design Network’s new Library Fellow.
Niklas is currently doing his PhD at ASCoR at the University of Amsterdam, researching misinformation and the groups most vulnerable to it.
From Psychology To Misinformation Research
Before his PhD, Niklas did his BSc in Psychology and his MSc in Behavioral Science. That’s really where his interest in using research to contribute something positive to society started, and it eventually led him into misinformation research.
Why This Matters For PDN
That’s also one of the reasons Niklas is excited to join and contribute to PDN: he gets to look beyond misinformation and explore all the other ways psychology, behavioral science, and communication science can contribute to building more positive online spaces.
As he puts it, “I do feel we have a responsibility as researchers to put what we learn to good use, and, in my opinion, that’s also a big part of the fun.”
To get to know Niklas better, I asked him a few questions:
- What’s your favorite corner of the internet?
I’m not sure I have one at the moment. These days, I mostly use YouTube to follow the news, stay up to date, and occasionally find recipes or cooking videos.
My favorite daily distraction is probably playing “tenaball” at the office with my fellow PhD candidates. It’s a website that has daily football mini-games that we play.
- What is the most enjoyable or interesting piece of research or writing you’ve read recently?
I recently started reading Foucault’s Discipline and Punish. It has one of the most captivating, unsettling, and frankly gory openings I’ve read in a while. I actually had to spread it across several days.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I actually did, but in a slightly strange way, and it definitely gets your attention.
- How many browser tabs do you have open right now?
Unfortunately, too many to count. I’m in the middle of finishing the first paper of my PhD, so there’s a lot of cross-referencing and checking everything again. Definitely more than 30 or 40.
- Anything else you’d like us to know about you?
I’m really into cooking. If I weren’t doing research, I’d probably try to be a chef or something, although I’d probably break down under the working hours, which might be even worse than those of a PhD student. But I really love cooking, and I think making people tasty food is a very nice way to contribute something positive to their lives.
I’m also very much into all kinds of sports: football (the original football), American football, tennis, and basketball. And I enjoy chess, too, both playing and watching it.
Please join us in welcoming Niklas to PDN in our community Slack channel!
About the Prosocial Design Network
The Prosocial Design Network researches and promotes prosocial design: evidence-based design practices that bring out the best in human nature online. Learn more at prosocialdesign.org.