Unrooted By Anaëlle Gonzalez (20.04.2023) The following narrative poem started from a conversation with my dear friend Paulina Januszewska, about our experiences of living in-between two cultures, two countries, and never fully feeling rooted in neither. I started writing it in 2022 and finished it more than a year after to capture the evolution of my experience a the time. I. I wonder where my life is: Here, there or maybe Some place in-between. Like oil I dive in the clouded waters Of the Belgian-Flemish manners, Half submerged, half sailing Through the shapeless urge To melt the painful borders, To
The object By Anaëlle Gonzalez (30.10.2025) Today I saw a picture of a mountain, its spine against the dawn —magnificent and flat. I heard birds sing through the wind in my meditation app. I saw sunsets rehearsed, forests framed and the moon adjusted for brightness. I frowned at the pain parading the screen —children dying, a school shooting, felt outrage for what happens overseas, posted so everyone could see, then ignored the man in the
Abstract Despite the attention that moral media content has received for many years, thus far, no research has systematically investigated the moral foundations featured in (visual) user-generated content. This is important, as exposure to moral content may influence the relative salience of different moral foundations among consumers, with implications for their moral reasoning. This manual content analysis investigated the prevalence and consistency of the moral foundations represented in the Instagram profiles of the 59 most followed Western celebrities, athletes and influencers. The study coded 1,256 posts and 2,936 stories, documenting the exemplification of moral foundations and their links with sex,
Abstract Instagram and its famous personae are nowadays an important news source for many users, which may stem from celebrities’ and influencers’ repeated engagement with political topics on their otherwise entertainment- or lifestyle-oriented accounts. Yet, to date, no study has systematically investigated the type and framing of this political content. This content analysis examined 1,256 Instagram posts and 2,936 stories of the 59 most popular opinion leaders (20 sports celebrities, 20 artistic celebrities and 19 influencers) in Western countries, and documented, for the first time, the prevalence of types of political topics and their framing. Results from multilevel analyses suggest
Anaëlle J. Gonzalez KU Leuven Laura Vandenbosch KU Leuven Ann Rousseau KU Leuven Reference Gonzalez, A., Vandenbosch, L., & Rousseau, A. (2023). A Panel Study of the Relationships Between Social Media Interactions and Adolescents’ Pro-Environmental Cognitions and Behaviors. Environment and Behavior, 55(6–7), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139165231194331 Read Abstract Despite the circulation of climate content on social media, little longitudinal research has explored their relations with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. Considering that individual behaviours, in conjunction with structural change, are critical to mitigate climate change, this two-wave panel study among 657 adolescents examined how social media interactions (i.e. exposure, liking, commenting, sharing and
Permission to grow By Anaëlle Gonzalez (20.05.2022) I can feel my old skin Shedding and Sloughing into something Unknown and obscure Yet, ablaze and assured. The zebra membrane marbles, Unable to resolve This ambivalent maze. Boundaries blur between Old, current and altered selves. The ego of distant pasts Hoards and holds tightly To the weak certainties And polished identities. The time-worn enamel sheds and sticks to the flayed membrane, Afraid of dissolution, Of memory loss and rejection. The new flesh exposed and unsure Is half chrysalis, half hatched; Coerced to come into But shy to impose its being. The worn
Dreamcatchers The following poetic letter Dear Sisters is a poem on an experience of sisterhood which was written in 2020 for the photobook Dromenvangers (‘Dreamcatchers’) of my dear friend and talented photographer Paulina Januszewska. In her words, the book is “the fruit of cooperation of many women (and some men as well) [who] have posed for portraits, shared their thoughts, experiences, knowledge and creativity. It’s a testimony of what happens when we direct our energy to create, develop talents, support and strengthen each other. We strive for connection, not for perfection.” I was delighted to be a part of this
Een alledaags wonder In 2022, I was very fortunate to have been invited to contribute to a beautiful book: Een Alledaags Wonder (An Everyday Miracle). The book contains 50 stories from famous thinkers, artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs who expressed in their unique ways what it feels like to suddenly look up from our individual existence and feel connected to others and the world. It was compiled by Steven Eggermont (communication scientist and dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven) and Peter Vermeersch (author and political scientist affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven).