Sarah Geber has been Lecturer – Research at the Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich (IKMZ) since March 2024.

She was formerly a senior research and teaching associate at the IKMZ. She also served as interim professor for digital communication at the University of Mannheim and was a visiting scholar at the University of Amsterdam and George Washington University. Sarah Geber completed her doctorate in Hanover in 2016 and her habilitation in Zurich in 2024.

Her research focuses on social and algorithmic influences related to 1) social media and adolescents‘ risk behavior, 2) mobile media and well-being, and 3) news media and crisis prevention behavior.

Her research has received several awards, including Best Paper Awards from the International Communication Association. As Chair of the Community Communication at UZH's Digital Society Initiative and Managing Editor of the European Journal of Health Communication, she is committed to the interdisciplinary and international networking in the reserach community

Lecturer – Research at UZH, permanent and independent position with a focus on research

Principal Investigator of the project Alternative Media, Alterntative Norms?, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation

Principal Investigator of the project Algorithm vs. Friends, funded by the Digital Society Initiative of the UZH

Chair of the Community Communication of the Digital Society Initiative of the University of Zurich, communication.dsi.uzh.ch

Co-Founding und Managing-Editor of the European Journal of Health Communication ejhc.org

Health and crisis communication, especially the meaning of media and social influences for health and crisis behavior in a digital society (e.g., prevention behaviors, adolescents’ risk behaviors).

Media use and media effects, especially the role of social norms with regard to digital media (e.g., smartphone use in the presence of others) and the effects of media content.

Empirical methods and statistics, especially the collection and analysis of relational data (e.g., dyads and ego-centered networks) and the monitoring of societal communication and effect processes.

Books

Geber, S. (2017). Wie Meinungsführer Meinung kommunizieren. Meinungsführerschaft in der politischen Alltagskommunikation [The opinion giving of opinion leaders. Opinion leadership in everyday political conversations]. Köln: von Halem. 

Journal Articles

Geber, S. (2024). Unraveling the dark side of social norms—Toward a research agenda on the challenges of social norms in health communication. Health Communication, 39(12), 2955–2962. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2296190

Geber, S., Fretwurst, B., Vogler, D., Siegen, D., Eisenegger, M., & Friemel, T. (2024). Norm setting in times of crisis: A time-series analysis of the dynamics between media reporting and perceived norms in the context of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out. Mass Communication and Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2024.2389833

Geber, S., Nguyen, M. H., & Büchi, M. (2024). Conflicting norms—How norms of disconnection and availability correlate with digital media use across generations. Social Science Computer Review, 42(3), 719–740. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393231215457

Nguyen, M. H., Büchi, M., & Geber, S. (2024). Everyday disconnection experiences: Exploring people’s understanding of digital well-being and management of digital media use. New Media & Society, 26(6), 3045-3678.https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221105428

Friemel, T. N. & Geber, S. (2023). Social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic in Switzerland: Health protective behavior in the context of communication and perceptions of efficacy, norms, and threat. Health Communication, 26(8), 566–575. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1976360

Geber, S. & Ho, S. S. (2023). Examining the cultural dimension of tracing app adoption during the Covid-19 pandemic: A cross-country study in Singapore and Switzerland. Information, Communication & Society, 26(11), 2229–2249. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2082880

Geber, S., Ho, S. S., & Ou, M. (2023). Communication, social norms, and the intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19. A cross-cultural study in Singapore and Switzerland. European Journal of Health Communication, 4(2), 113–139. https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.206

Hitchman, S. C., Geber, S., Tribelhorn, L. & Friemel, T. N (2023). Covid-19 vaccination and changes in preventive behaviours: Findings from the 2021 vaccine rollout in Switzerland. European Journal of Public Health, 33(3), 482–489. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckad050

Vanherle, R., Geber, S. & Beullens, K. (2023). The effects of alcohol-related social media content on adolescents’ momentary perceived norms, attitudes, and drinking intentions. Health Communication. Advance online publication.  https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2259696

Vanherle, R., Geber, S., Geusens, F. & Beullens, K. (2023). Drinking buddies: The importance of proximal norms in emerging adults' alcohol-related private and public social media use. Health Communication, 38(14), 3301–3315. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2148086

Geber, S. & Friemel, T. N. (2022). Tracing-technology adoption during the Covid-19 pandemic: The multifaceted role of social norms. International Journal of Communication, 16, 247–266. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/18089

Geber, S. & Sedlander, E. (2022). Communication as the crucial link: Toward a multilevel approach to normative social influence. Studies in Communication Sciences, 22(2), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.24434/j.scoms.2022.02.005

Geber, S., Tribelhorn, L., Hitchman, S. C. & Friemel, T. N. (2022). Dynamic norms for dynamic times? An experiment on the effects of dynamic and static norms messages on Covid-19 vaccination intention. Studies in Communication and Media, 11(3), 453–476. https://doi.org/10.5771/2192-4007-2022-3-453

Winkelmann, L. & Geber, S. (2022). On the norm sensitivity of younger mobile phone users: Perceived social norms and phubbing in interactions between younger and older generations. Communication Research Reports, 39(4), 214–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2022.2115476

Geber, S., Frey, T., & Friemel, T. N. (2021). Social aspects of health communication – Towards a research agenda. European Journal of Health Communication, 2(2), I-IV. https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2021.200

Geber, S., Frey, T., & Friemel, T. N. (2021). Social media use in the context of drinking onset: The mutual influences of social media effects and selectivity. Journal of Health Communication, 26(8), 566-575. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1980636

Geber, S., & Friemel, T. (2021). A typology-based approach to tracing-app adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of the SwissCovid app. Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media, 1. https://doi.org/10.51685/jqd.2021.007

Geber, S., Baumann, E., Czerwinski, F., & Klimmt, C. (2021). The effects of social norms among peer groups on risk behavior: A multilevel approach to differentiate perceived and collective norms. Communication Research, 48, 319-345. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650218824213

Friemel, T., Geber, S., Pfiffner, N., van Weert, J., de Bruijn, G. J., & Reifegerste, D. (2020). A European Journal of Health Communication in the age of open science. European Journal of Health Communication, 1, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2020.001

Leuppert, R., & Geber, S. (2020). Commonly done but not socially accepted? Phubbing and social norms in dyadic and small group settings. Communication Research Reports, 37, 55-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2020.1756767

Geber, S. (2020). Rezension zum Herausgeberband Handbuch der Gesundheitskommunikation: Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Perspektiven, von C. Rossmann & M. R. Hastall (Hrsg.). Publizistik, 65, 499-501. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-020-00587-3

Geber, S. (2019). Exploring normative leadership: An egocentric network approach to friends’ norm-signaling relevance. International Journal of Communication, 13, 4198-4218.

Geber, S., Baumann, E., & Klimmt, C. (2019). Where do norms come from? Peer communication as a factor in normative social influences on risk behavior. Communication Research, 46(5), 708-730. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650217718656

Geber, S. (2019). Do self-perceived opinion leaders actually lead opinions? Evidence from an observational study on political conversations. Communication Research Reports, 3, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2019.1598856

Geber, S., & Hefner, D. (2019). Social norms as communicative phenomena: A communication perspective on the theory of normative social behavior. Studies in Communication and Media, 8, 6-28. https://doi.org/10.5771/2192-4007-2019-1-6

Rimal, R. N., Yilma, H., Ryskulova, N., & Geber, S. (2019). Driven to succeed: Improving adolescents' driving behaviors through a personal narrative-based psychosocial intervention in Serbia. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 122, 172-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.09.034https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.09.034

Geber, S., Baumann, E., & Klimmt, C. (2016). Tailoring in risk communication by linking risk profiles and communication preferences: The case of speeding of young car drivers. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 97, 315-325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2015.06.015

Geber, S., Scherer, H., & Hefner, D. (2016). Social capital in media societies: The impact of media use and media structures on social capital. International Communication Gazette, 78(6), 493–513. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048516640211

Geber, S., & Scherer, H. (2015). My voter, my party, and me. American and German parliamentarians on Facebook. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 12(4), 360-377. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2015.1101037

Book chapters

Friemel, T., Geber, S., & Egli, S. (2020). Informations- und Kommunikationsverhalten in der Corona-Pandemie. In fög/Universität Zürich (Hrsg.), Jahrbuch Qualität der Medien – Schweiz Suisse Svizzera (S. 51-60). Zürich/Basel: Schwabe.

Geber, S., & Hefner, D. (2018). Eine Theorie sozial-normativer Mediennutzung. In C. Wilhelm, N. Podschuweit, M. Hofer & T. Koch & (Hrsg.), Medienwahl – Aktuelle Konzepte, Befunde und methodische Zugänge (S. 119-134). Baden-Baden: Nomos.

Scherer, H., & Geber, S. (2017). Standardization. In J. Matthes (Hrsg.), The Wiley Blackwell-ICA International Encyclopedias of Communication. The international encyclopedia of communication research methods. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 

Baumann, E., Geber, S., Klimmt, C., Maurer, M., Oschatz, C., & Sülflow, M. (2015). Grenzen der Wirksamkeit präventiver Botschaften am Beispiel von Verkehrssicherheitskampagnen. In M. Schäfer, O. Quiring, C. Rossmann, M. H. Hastall & E. Baumann (Hrsg.), Gesundheitskommunikation im gesellschaftlichen Wandel (Reihe Medien + Gesundheit). Baden-Baden: Nomos.

Baumann, E., & Geber, S. (2014). Targetingstrategien in der Verkehrssicherheitskommunikation zur Erreichbarkeit junger Risikogruppen. In C. Klimmt, M. Maurer, H. Holte & E. Baumann (Hrsg.), Verkehrssicherheitskommunikation: Beiträge der empirischen Forschung zur strategischen Unfallprävention (S. 287-307). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

Research reports

Friemel, T., Geber, S., Poggiolini, C., & Scheuermeier, M. (2020). Kommunikative Einflussfaktoren auf Covid-19 Präventionsverhalten. Analyse zur Einführung der SwissCovid App und dem Maskenobligatorium im öffentlichen Verkehr. Forschungsbericht zuhanden des Bundesamts für Gesundheit. Zürich: Institut für angewandte Kommunikationsforschung.

Friemel, T., Geber, S., & Scheuermeier, M. (2020). Kommunikative Strategien für die Förderung von COVID-19-Präventionsverhalten. Adhoc-Auswertung zur SwissCovid App. Forschungsbericht zuhanden des Bundesamts für Gesundheit. Zürich: Institut für angewandte Kommunikationsforschung.

Friemel, T., Geber, S., & Egli, S. (2020). Informations- und Kommunikationsverhalten in der Corona-Krise. Befunde aus der Deutschschweiz zu Relevanz, Funktionen und Bewertung verschiedener Information- und Kommunikationsformen während der ersten Tage des Lockdowns. Bericht für das Bundesamt für Kommunikation. Zürich: Universität Zürich.

Klimmt, C., Maurer, M., Geber, S., Oschatz, C., & Sülflow, M. (2017). Evaluation der Kampagnenfortsetzung 2013/14 „Runter vom Gas!“. Berichte der Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen, Mensch und Sicherheit, M 271. Bremen: Fachverlag NW.

Holte, H., Klimmt, C., Baumann, E., & Geber, S. (2014). Wirkungsvolle Risikokommunikation für junge Fahrer und Fahrerinnen. Berichte der Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen, Mensch und Sicherheit, M 249. Bremen: Fachverlag NW.