InBits

About InBits

In bits: Deconstructing our digital lives Dr Liam Challenor and Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton explore areas of cyberpsychology that you’re curious about, with a different topic every two weeks. From social media “addiction” to attention span changes, from trolling and harassment to online activism, from gaming to online dating, from misogyny to radicalisation online. Our lives are fully immersed in technology, and people have concerns about how it might be affecting us all. There is a lot of poor media reporting and scaremongering in the field of cyberpsychology, but far less evidence-based content to offer an alternative. This podcast is informative and educational, directly addressing peoples’ concerns, worries and hopes, while also being entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. We breakdown challenging and sometimes difficult topics “in bits” to make them approachable, fun and easy to understand.

Publisher

Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton, Dr Liam Challenor

Category

education · health & fitness · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Mar 2025

Latest episode

3 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Mar 2026

   What even is social media?

   We talked to Evelyn Murray, Psychology PhD candidate at Aston University, at the BPS Cyberpsychology Conference in July last year. She presented her research on how people perceive social media and what counts as a social media platform. We were amazed by how little agreement there is! We knew immediately that we wanted to hear about her research on the podcast. You can find Evelyn's study here as a pre-print: Exploring Public Perceptions of Social Media: A Preregistered Mixed-Methods Study" - (Preprint link) https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/n7xr3_v1 And you can find Evelyn on LinkedIn here https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-murray-7ba154248/

2. 

   3 Feb 2026

   Is Fandom Good for You? The Cyberpsychology of Stans, Ships and Parasocial Love

   Is fandom good for your mental health—or quietly wrecking it? We are joined by researcher Derek Laffan to discuss his research on K-pop, the positives and negatives of fandom communities. Join us and dive into Cyberpsychology of stans, ships, and parasocial love: K‑pop, influencers and parasocial relationships, parasocial grief, and shipping conspiracies. Resources Positive Psychosocial Outcomes and Fanship in K-Pop Fans: A Social Identity Theory Perspective - Laffan et al. (2021). Effects of Online Fan Community Interactions on Well-Being and Sense of Virtual Community - Kim et al. (2023). The role of cyberbullying victimization in the relationship between psychological sense of community and well‑being among BTS fans. - Laffan et al. (2023)

3. 

   20 Jan 2026

   The Truth About Cyberstalking

   Dr. Cassidy Weekes explores the grim realities of cyberstalking, detailing perpetrator tactics like spyware and hacking, and the devastating psychological impact on victims, in this interview episode.

Who has been a guest on InBits

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dr Cassidy Weekes
• Dr Grace Carroll
• [Guest Name Credential]
• [Guest Name]

Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

62

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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