Dr. D.S.W. (Dominique) Wirz

Assistant Professor

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

CW : Youth & Media Entertainment

Visiting address

Nieuwe Achtergracht 166

Postal address

Postbus 15791
1001 NG Amsterdam

Contact details

d.s.w.wirz@uva.nl

Social media

Profile
Dominique Wirz focuses on media use and effects, especially on positive effects of digital media use, such as entertainment, recovery, or knowledge gain.

Current research

News consumption and infotainment on social media

Psychological richness as a dimension of entertainment experiences

Media use and recovery

Emotions in political communication

Research expertise

Media use and effects

Media Psychology

Experimental research & digital trace data
Research
Research methods

Experiments

Surveys

Digital Trace Data

Experience Sampling

Content Analysis

Current research projects

News Consumption and Infotainment on Social Media (funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation): How does an entertaining presentation of news on Instagram or TikTok affect knowledge and attitudes about news issues?

Research grants & honours

2025: Top Paper Award by the Mass Communication Division of the International Communication Association (ICA)

2022: Project grant from the research pool, University of Fribourg (CHF 24’590)

2022: OFCOM research grant (CHF 46’258)

2022: Top Paper Award by the Mass Communication Division of the International Communication Association (ICA)

2021: SNF Ambizione Grant (CHF 612’788)

2020: Fulbright Visiting Scholar Grant (USD 10’850.-)

2018 Kaid-Sanders Award for the best article of the year by the Political Communication division of the International Communication Association (ICA)

2018 Dissertation Award of the Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research

2018 Best Paper Award by the Political Communication Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK)

2017 Best Paper Award by the Media Effects Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK)
Teaching
Developing Media Entertainment
Publications
2025

Ulusoy, E., Wirz, D. S., Eden, A., & Ellithorpe, M. E. (2025). Boundaries on a binge: Explicating the role of intentionality in binge-watching motivations and problematic outcomes. Acta Psychologica, 252, Article 104666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104666

Wirz, D. S., & Blassnig, S. (2025). A matter of perception? investigating subjective and objective exposure to hate speech with a survey and mobile longitudinal linkage study. Information Communication and Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2461646

Wirz, D. S., & Wirth, W. (2025). An Unholy Alliance? The Influence of Negative Emotions Elicited by Media Reports on the Persuasiveness of Populist Communication. Mass Communication and Society, 28(1), 174-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2024.2349909

Wirz, D. S., & Zai, F. (2025). Infotainment on Social Media: How News Companies Combine Information and Entertainment in News Stories on Instagram and TikTok. Digital Journalism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2025.2464062

Wirz, D. S., Eden, A., Ulusoy, E., & Ellithorpe, M. E. (2025). Beyond pleasurable and meaningful: Psychologically rich entertainment experiences. PLoS ONE, 20(2), 1. Article e0315596. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315596

2024

Ellithorpe, M. E., Eden, A., Ulusoy, E., Wirz, D., & Grady, S. (2024). Is bedtime media use good or bad? A competitive analysis between the sleep displacement hypothesis and the media recovery hypothesis. Media Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2024.2400571

Gadino, N., Ellithorpe, M. E., Ulusoy, E., Wirz, D. S., & Eden, A. (2024). Binge-Watching to Feel Better: Mental Health Gratifications Sought and Obtained Through Binge-Watching. Psychology of Popular Media, 13(3), 407-415. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000485

Wirz, D. S. W., & Zai, F. (2024). Politischer Journalismus auf Instagram: Informations-und Unterhaltungspotenzial Schweizer Nachrichtenmedien. In C. Nuernbergk, N. F. Schumacher, J. Haßler, & J. Schützeneder (Eds.), Politischer Journalismus (pp. 259-276). Nomos. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748939702

2023

Baselgia, S., Combertaldi, S. L., Fahr, A., Wirz, D. S., Ort, A., & Rasch, B. (2023). Pre-sleep arousal induced by suspenseful series and cliffhangers have only minor effects on sleep: A sleep laboratory study. Sleep Medicine, 102, 186-198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2023.01.005

Möri, M., Wirz, D. S., & Fahr, A. (2023). Parasocial relationships with morally ambiguous media characters -the role of moral foundations. Studies in Communication Sciences, 23(3), 259-278. https://doi.org/10.24434/J.SCOMS.2023.03.3969 [details]
Downloads
Parasocial relationships with morally ambiguous media characters
Supplementary files
Online Supplement

Wirz, D. S., Möri, M., Ort, A., Cordeiro, J. A., Castro, D., & Fahr, A. (2023). The More You Watch, the More You Get? Re-Examining the Effects of Binge-Watching on Entertainment Experiences. Journal of Media Psychology, 35, 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000355

2022

Wirz, D. (2022). Emotions and Populist Communication. In The Populism Interviews: A Dialogue with Leading Experts (pp. 91-94). Taylor and Francis Inc.. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003250388-18

Wirz, D. S., Ort, A., Rasch, B., & Fahr, A. (2022). The Role of Cliffhangers in Serial Entertainment: An Experiment on Cliffhangers’ Effects on Enjoyment, Arousal, and Intention to Continue Watching. Psychology of Popular Media, 12, 186-196. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000392

2021

Hameleers, M., Schmuck, D., Schulz, A., Wirz, D. S., Matthes, J., Bos, L., Corbu, N., & Andreadis, I. (2021). The Effects of Populist Identity Framing on Populist Attitudes Across Europe: Evidence From a 15-Country Comparative Experiment. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 33(3), 491–510. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edaa018 [details]
Downloads
edaa018
Supplementary files
edaa018 supplementary data

Ort, A., Wirz, D. S., & Fahr, A. (2021). Is binge-watching addictive? Effects of motives for TV series use on the relationship between excessive media consumption and problematic viewing habits. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 13, Article 100325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100325

Zerback, T., & Wirz, D. S. (2021). Appraisal Patterns as Predictors of Emotional Expressions And Shares on Political Social Networking Sites. Studies in Communication Sciences, 21, 27-45. https://doi.org/10.24434/J.SCOMS.2021.01.003

2020

Wettstein, M., Schulz, A., Steenbergen, M., Schemer, C., Müller, P., Wirz, D. S., & Wirth, W. (2020). Measuring populism across nations: Testing for measurement invariance of an inventory of populist attitudes. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 32, 284-305. https://doi.org/10.1093/IJPOR/EDZ018

2019

Blassnig, S., & Wirz, D. S. (2019). Populist and Popular: An Experiment on the Drivers of User Reactions to Populist Posts on Facebook. Social Media and Society, 5. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119890062

Wettstein, M., Esser, F., Büchel, F., Schemer, C., Wirz, D. S., Schulz, A., Ernst, N., Engesser, S., Müller, P., & Wirth, W. (2019). What Drives Populist Styles? Analyzing Immigration and Labor Market News in 11 Countries. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 96, 516-536. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699018805408

Wirz, D. S., Wettstein, M., Schulz, A., Ernst, N., Schemer, C., & Wirth, W. (2019). How populist crisis rhetoric affects voters in Switzerland. Studies in Communication Sciences, 19, 69-83. https://doi.org/10.24434/j.scoms.2019.01.006

2018

Schulz, A., Müller, P., Schemer, C., Wirz, D. S., Wettstein, M., & Wirth, W. (2018). Measuring Populist Attitudes on Three Dimensions. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 30, 316-326. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edw037

WIRZ, DOMINIQUE. S. (2018). Persuasion Through Emotion? An Experimental Test of the Emotion-Eliciting Nature of Populist Communication. International Journal of Communication, 12, 1114-1138.

Wettstein, M., Esser, F., Schulz, A., Wirz, D. S., & Wirth, W. (2018). News Media as Gatekeepers, Critics, and Initiators of Populist Communication: How Journalists in Ten Countries Deal with the Populist Challenge. International Journal of Press/Politics, 23, 476-495. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161218785979

Wirz, D. S., Wettstein, M., Schulz, A., Müller, P., Schemer, C., Ernst, N., Esser, F., & Wirth, W. (2018). The Effects of Right-Wing Populist Communication on Emotions and Cognitions toward Immigrants. International Journal of Press/Politics, 23, 496-516. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161218788956

2017

Müller, P., Schemer, C., Wettstein, M., Schulz, A., Wirz, D. S., Engesser, S., & Wirth, W. (2017). The Polarizing Impact of News Coverage on Populist Attitudes in the Public: Evidence From a Panel Study in Four European Democracies. Journal of Communication, 67, 968-992. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12337

2014

Ryffel, F. A., Wirz, D. S., Kühne, R., & Wirth, W. (2014). How emotional media reports influence attitude formation and change: the interplay of attitude base, attitude certainty and persuasion. Media Psychology, 17(4), 397-419. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2014.933850 [details]
2024

Nai, A., Bos, L., Wirz, D. S. W., & Saadettin, M. (2024). Great vengeance and furious anger: Populist rhetoric and the roots of voters’ rage against the system. Paper presented at ECREA European Communication Conference, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Saadettin, M., Nai, A., Bos, L., & Wirz, D. S. W. (2024). Great vengeance and furious anger: Populist rhetoric and the roots of voters’ rage against the system. Abstract from Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap 2024, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

2023

Nai, A., Bos, L., Saadettin, M., & Wirz, D. S. W. (2023). Great vengeance and furious anger: Populist rhetoric and the roots of voters’ rage against the system . Paper presented at ECPR General Conference, Prague, Czech Republic.

Wirz, D. S. W., Oschatz, C., & Möller, J. E. (2023). Infotainment in sozialen Medien: Wie wirken sich Dynamik, Narration und Interaktivität auf das Wissen über Nachrichtenthemen aus? [Infotainment on social media: How do dynamic presentation, narration and interactivity affect knowledge about news?]. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research (SGKM), 20-21 April, in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Wirz, D. S. W., Oschatz, C., & Möller, J. E. (2023). Infotainment on social media: How do dynamic presentation, narration and interaction affect knowledge about news issues?. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), 25-29 May 2023, Political Communication Division, Toronto, CA.

2013

Ryffel, F., Wirz, D., Wirth, W., & Kühne, R. J. (2013). How emotional media reports influence attitude formation and change. Paper presented at Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), London.
Others

Wirz, D. (examiner) (31-3-2023 - 10-11-2023). Doctorate Committee (examination).
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Dr. D.S.W. (Dominique) Wirz

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