Research at Webster Vienna

The Influence of Submission Devices on User-Generated Content: A New Study by Prof. Madlberger and Dr. Wolf

Prof. Maria Madlberger, Head of the Business and Management Department at Webster Vienna Private University collaborated with Dr. Lukas Wolf from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg on a research study titled The Influence of Submission Devices on User-Generated Content – A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. This study has been accepted for publication in the journal International Journal of Consumer Studies.

The paper investigates the impact of submission devices – mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and non-mobile devices like laptops or PCs – on the creation and characteristics of User-Generated Content (UGC). While mobile and non-mobile devices share many functional similarities, they differ in screen size, user interface, and usage context, factors which can shape how users interact with content creation tools.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review, offering a structured overview of existing research by analyzing relevant theories, contexts, and methodologies. A subsequent weight analysis and meta-analysis examined the strength and combined effect sizes of relationships studied across the literature, as well as moderators that explain variations in results.

Key findings indicate that mobile devices, compared to non-mobile devices, have a moderate negative effect on temporal distance, text length, and content diversity in UGC. These insights clarify inconsistencies in prior studies and confirm the robustness of certain device-related effects. For example, the submission device plays a major role in factors that are influencing review helpfulness, but it does not affect helpfulness itself. The study calls for further research on understanding the role of situational factors of UGC creation as well as impacts on product sales.

The paper also provides practical recommendations for managers, emphasizing the need to adapt marketing strategies to the unique characteristics of content created on different digital devices. To encourage the submission of effective reviews, companies may encourage UGC submission via non-mobile devices.

^{Wolf, L., Madlberger, M. (2025) The Influence of Submission Devices on User-Generated Content—A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis, International Journal of Consumer Studies 49(1), e70003.}

 

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Anatoly Reshetnikov contributed a chapter to the edited volume that engages with the life-time work of one of the most influential contemporary International Relations scholar, Iver B. Neumann. In his chapter, Reshetnikov shows how Russia and its relations with Europe were an important focus for Iver Neumann throughout his entire career.

He also exploresthe meaning and value of Neumann’s work for both Russian Studies and International Relations, the two disciplinary hats Neumann has managed to wear without falling into the common traps of either discipline.

Reshetnikov argues that Iver Neumann’s scholarship makes at least two important contributions to the mentioned fields. First, adhering to and promoting Bakhtinian dialogic epistemology, as well as engaging with the work of Russian formalists, Neumann effectively brought the Other’s voice and method into the European scholarly mainstream creating the conditions of possibility for dialogue and rapprochement.

Second, Neumann’s historicized explorations of Russia’s political identity produced an acutely precise and illuminating analytical framework that holds true deep and wide, explaining both the centuries-old historical evolution of Russia’s domestic debates about Europe, and its post-Soviet political trajectory and knowledge production.

 

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Associate professor and head of the communications department, Dr. Bradley E. Wiggins, was recently interviewed by Jorge Fontevecchia, CEO and journalist at Perfil, a major news platform in Argentina. Dr. Wiggins’ 2019 book ‘The Discursive Power of Memes in Digital Culture’ was translated earlier this year into Spanish as ‘El Poder de Los Memes’ or ‘The Power of Memes’.

In the interview, Dr. Wiggins states that “culture is lived in the programmed digital” and explains the impact and saturation of the digital in what we perceive as culture. In his book “The Power of Memes”, he breaks down this new way of producing meaning, thanks to the viral impulse given by social networks and the internet. And he maintains: “This is a new era of political communication.”

 

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A Study on Emotional Reaction to Biodiversity and its Impact on Pro-Environmental Behavior

Camille Young, a Bachelor of Arts graduate in Psychology from Webster Vienna Private University, recently completed her thesis examining whether implicit emotional reactions to biodiversity loss influence decision-making related to environmental preservation. With biodiversity loss posing critical threats to global well-being and ecological health, Young’s study aimed to explore how human emotional responses might impact behavioral engagement in biodiversity preservation.

Young’s research utilized a combination of surveys, decision-making tasks, and physiological measures, including the startle response, to assess participants’ reactions to visual stimuli depicting high versus low biodiversity. The study hypothesized that reduced biodiversity would provoke more negative implicit emotional reactions, which would, in turn, influence pro-environmental behaviors. Contrary to expectations, startle response differences between conditions were not statistically significant. However, other physiological data indicated heightened arousal in the low-biodiversity condition. Furthermore, while few direct relationships were observed between emotional reactions and pro-environmental behavior, the findings revealed correlations between connectedness to nature and the startle response, suggesting that individuals’ feelings towards nature shape their emotional reactions.

Young’s work highlights the deep relationship between biodiversity, human emotion, and environmental behavior, emphasizing the need to better understand how emotional responses might drive or hinder pro-environmental engagement.

 

Collaborative Research Exploring the Psychological Impact of Parental Divorce

Noor Nassereddin and Haifa Almatt, both recent graduates of the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program at Webster Vienna Private University, pursued research theses that explored different facets of the impact of parental divorce on individuals. Recognizing the overlap in their topics, the two students collaborated throughout their work, sharing insights and supporting each other’s investigations into this significant area of psychological study. While both focused on the influence of parental divorce, their studies examined distinct research questions, methodologies, and outcomes.

Nassereddin’s thesis explored the broader effects of parental divorce on the life trajectories of university students. Her research aimed to understand how resilience, coping mechanisms, and family dynamics shape responses to parental separation. Using a mixed-methods approach, she gathered data from 40 participants – 20 with divorced parents and 20 with non-divorced parents – through structured interviews, multidimensional analysis, and thematic analysis. Nassereddin’s findings highlighted the role of supportive environments and personal resilience in facilitating better adjustment to parental divorce, emphasizing that while challenges exist, resilience and family dynamics significantly influence long-term outcomes.

In contrast, Almatt’s thesis focused on the impact of parental divorce specifically on emotional regulation abilities. Her study hypothesized that individuals who experienced parental separation would exhibit lower emotional regulation, reflected in higher negative emotionality and anxiety and avoidance attachment styles. Almatt’s research also involved 40 participants split into groups of 20, with self-report questionnaires, including the Adult Attachment Questionnaire and Big Five Inventory, and demographic data collected through pre-interview paperwork. The results indicated a slight increase in anxiety, avoidance, and negative emotionality scores among individuals with divorced parents compared to those from intact families. However, due to the lack of statistical significance, the findings were interpreted with caution. Almatt also identified notable gender differences, observing that women from divorced families scored higher on measures of negative emotionality, anxiety, and avoidance.

Together, Nassereddin and Almatt’s theses offer a comprehensive examination of the diverse psychological effects of parental divorce, providing insights into its long-term impact on resilience, emotional regulation, and attachment. It is important to emphasize, however, that the findings of these studies reflect general trends observed within the groups of participants in each respective condition (divorced vs. non-divorced parents). These trends should not be interpreted as predictive of outcomes for individual participants.

 

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