Dr Lewis Goodings

Lewis is a qualitative social psychologist who is interested in the way that self and identity are mediated via social media technologies. He also considers the use of these technologies in relation to mental distress and the possible advantages or disadvantages therein.

[email protected]

Background

Lewis joined ARU in 2017, having previously gained his PhD in Social Psychology from Loughborough University in 2010. His PhD was particularly interested in the way people communicate in social network sites, focussing on issues of self, identity and community. Since then Lewis has worked at the University of Roehampton and at the University of East London. 

Lewis is a social psychologist who is interested in the use of social media and other digital technologies, focussing on the changing ways people interact with new forms of technology. This aims to examine the subjective or collective spaces that afford complex relations of thinking, feeling and acting.

Research interests

• Mental health apps and social media sites: examining and evaluating the impact of introducing different digital technologies into mental health communities
• Space, affect and the body: looking at how our experiences are shaped by the spaces we inhabit and the affective practices therein
• Qualitative methods: primarily discursive methods but open to all qualitative methods

Areas of research supervision

• The use of social media and social psychology (eg self, identity or community practices)
• Mental health apps and how people live in concert with these technologies
• The benefits or challenges that are associated with connecting via digital technologies

Teaching

Lewis is the course leader for the MSc Psychology (Conversion) course. He is also module leader for two modules: Research in Action at level 5/7 and Cyberpsychology at level 6. He contributes to a range of modules on social psychology, cyberpsychology and qualitative methods.

Qualifications

• PhD, Loughborough University, 2010
• BSc (Hons) Loughborough University, 2005

Memberships, editorial boards

• Chartered Psychologist, British Psychological Society
• Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• ‘Social Media and Austerity’ Communities & Culture Network +EPSRC £32,901
• ‘Follow on Project: Social Media and Austerity’ Communities & Culture Network + EPSRC £10,000

Selected recent publications

Simmons, N., Goodings, L., and Tucker, I., 2023. Experiences of Using Mental Health Apps to Support Psychological Health and Wellbeing. Journal of Applied Social Science, 19367244231196768.

Goodings, L., 2021. Mental health apps, self-tracking and the visual. In: Reavey, P. (Ed.) A handbook of visual methods in psychology: using and interpreting images in qualitative research (2^nd edition).  London: Routledge.  

Goodings, L., and Dickerson, P., 2020. Houston, We've Had a Problem. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 21(2), Art. 5, http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/fqs-21.2.3331. 

Goodings, L., and Tucker, I., 2019. Social media and mental health: A topological approach. In: McGrath, L. and Reavey, P. (Ed.). Mental distress and space: community and clinical applications. Routledge. 

Goodings, L., 2018. Anticipating affect. Trigger warnings in a mental health social media site. In: Sampson, T. (Ed.). Affect and Social Media. Rowman and Littlefield.

Goodings, L., and Tucker, I., 2018, Social media and mental health: A topological approach. In: McGrath, L. and Reavey, P. (Ed.). Mental distress and space: community and clinical applications. Routledge.

Goodings, L., and Tucker, I., 2017. Digitizing care and support for mental distress: Bodies, affect and Elefriends. Sociology of Health & Illness, 39(4), pp629-642.

Tucker, I., and Goodings, L., 2018. Medicated bodies: Affection, distress and social media. New Media & Society.

Chase, M., Tucker, L., Goodings, L. and Jobber, N., 2016. Young people’s mental health in the UK: A ‘preventative turn’ emerging from crisis. The European Health Psychologist, 18(3), pp134-137.

Tucker, I., and Goodings, L., 2015. Managing stress through Stress Free App: Practices of self-care in digitally mediated spaces. Digital Health, 1, pp1-10.

Tucker, I., and Goodings, L., 2018. Medicated bodies: Affection, distress and social media. New Media & Society, 20(2), pp549-563. 

Goodings, L., and Tucker, I., 2017. Digitizing care and support for mental distress: Bodies, affect and Elefriends. Sociology of Health & Illness, 39(4), pp629-642. 

Tucker, I., and Goodings, L., 2015. Managing stress through Stress Free App: Practices of self-care in digitally mediated spaces. Digital Health, 1, pp1-10.