Veera Ehrlén

I am a media and communications researcher. My work looks broadly at digital platforms, media consumption, content distribution practices, the digitalization of social interaction, and the mediatization of cultures. I am particularly interested in the interrelationships between sports, physical activity, media, and communication technologies. My aim is, through research, to raise awareness and stimulate debate on these relationships and thus steer them in a more equal and welfare-promoting direction.

Currently, funded by the Kone Foundation, I conduct research on the changing nature of sports journalism and on the role of the media in addressing sexual and gender‐based harassment in sports. In my postdoc phase, as part of a wider research team, I have also been researching datafication, media trust, and news consumption in data‐driven digital environments.

My affiliation is at the University of Jyväskylä in the field of journalism, where I also defended my doctoral thesis in 2021. In my dissertation, I examined the interplay between social interaction, community building, and the use of digital networked media in the context of leisure sports. In addition to Jyväskylä, I have visited the Universities of Helsinki, Stockholm, and Hamburg for research, study, and teaching.

I am the vice chair of the The Finnish Association for Media and Communication Studies (Mevi) and serve on the editorial board of Media & viestintä journal. I am also part of the Nordic Women in a Digitized Sports Culture research network. I am particularly interested in science education and societal interaction in the Young Academy Finland’s activities. I have a lot of first-hand experience in the context of their Meet a Researcher service.