Annabell Halfmann

Dr. Annabell Halfmann is an academic researcher at the University of Mannheim’s Institute for Media and Communication Studies, affiliated with Prof. Teresa Naab’s chair. She holds a PhD from Prof. Peter Vorderer’s research group, focusing on self-regulation in mobile communication. Her work bridges communication theory, quantitative methods, and digital well-being. She teaches BA/MA seminars on communication theories and experimental research designs, and manages course approval processes.

Her research examines media selection, effects, and self-control challenges in mobile media use. Key themes include social norms governing smartphone behavior, guilt associated with digital communication, and entertainment media’s psychological impact. She has developed frameworks like the IM³UNE model explaining mobile media’s well-being effects.

Notable contributions include analyzing maternal smartphone guilt (2025), messaging-induced emotions (2024), and digital detox metaphors (2022). Her work spans peer-reviewed journals like Mobile Media & Communication and the Annals of the International Communication Association.

Awarded the German Academic Scholarship Foundation’s PhD fellowship until 2022, she combines empirical research with practical teaching. Current projects explore digital parenting, task-related media distraction, and salutogenic approaches to media use.