Dr. Tali Gazit
My primary research focus is Internet Psychology, with particular emphasis on social media communities, including WhatsApp groups, Facebook communities, and their respective leaders. My research examines engagement in digital environments and its relationship with well-being, personality traits, social connectedness, and other psychological outcomes.
In recent years, my work has also expanded to explore the psychological, social, and behavioral implications of artificial intelligence, including human-AI interaction, AI adoption, and the ways AI technologies are reshaping everyday life, learning, work, and social relationships.
Much of this research is conducted within the Psychotechnology and Digital Life Lab, which I lead. The lab investigates the complex interplay between people and digital technologies, focusing on how emerging technologies influence psychological well-being, social behavior, and digital experiences across the lifespan. Through the lab, I collaborate with students and researchers to better understand the opportunities and challenges that emerging digital technologies create for individuals, communities, and society. In recognition of my research contributions, I received Bar-Ilan University's Outstanding Researcher Award in 2026.
I am particularly interested in studying how older adults interact with technology, leadership in the digital era, online communities, and phenomena such as FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) and JoMO (Joy of Missing Out).
As an educator, I am passionate about teaching and enjoy integrating digital tools, AI applications, and collaborative learning activities into my classes. My commitment to innovative and engaging teaching was recognized with Bar-Ilan University's Outstanding Lecturer Award in 2026.
As a researcher, I value interdisciplinary collaborations and enjoy working with scholars from diverse fields and institutions around the world.
CV
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. – Information Science - a recipient of the scholarship for honor doctoral students, Bar-Ilan University, 2017.
Thesis: Participation and Lurking in Social Discussions in Facebook Groups. Supervisors: Prof. Bar-Ilan and Prof. Amichai-Hamburger.
M.A – Bibliotherapy (Magna cum laude), Faculty of Education, Haifa University, 2006.
Thesis: Self-disclosure in Personal Profiles in Online Dating Sites. Supervisor: Prof. Azi Barak.
B.A – Psychology and Philosophy, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2001.
HISTORY OF ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS:
2015 – Present, Senior faculty member, the Department of Information Science, Bar-Ilan University.
2017 – 2018, External teacher, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya.
2008 – 2018, Teaching and Research Assistant, School of Communication, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya.
2013 – 2015, Research Assistant in a project about E-democracy, Bar-Ilan University, the Department of Information Science
1995 – 2005, Teacher, "Sivan" and "John Bryce" colleges, Jerusalem/Tel-Aviv.
1993 - 1995, Teacher at "Mamram", IDF.
Courses
Course no. 35-894: Psychological aspects in the digital age.
Course no. 35-713: Organizational behavior.
Course no. 35-915: The digital man.
Course no. 35-903: Bibliotherapy.
Course no. 35-975: Advanced Statistics and Research Methods.
Course no. 35-994: An Introduction to Statistics and Research Methods.
Publications
Gazit, T. & Bayraktar, F. (2026). The FoMO-JoMO paradox in digital parenting: What drives oversharenting? Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 0(0), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1177/21522715261443070.
Elhai, J. D., Gazit, T., Casale, S. & Montag, C. (2026). FOMO’s underlying dimensions are differentially related to problematic smartphone use but equally related to depression, anxiety, rumination, and distress tolerance. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-026-01680-w
Isser, M. & Gazit, T. (2026). Scrolling for support: Informational, emotional, and social support in adult ADHD Facebook groups. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1755437. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1755437
Gazit, T., Eitan, T., Gal, L., & Gradovitch, N. (2026). Adoption of Generative AI Technologies: Insights From the UTAUT2 Model, Personality Characteristics, and Behavioural Factors. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 42(1), e70162. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcal.70162
Gazit, T., Bergman, Y., Hoffman, Y., Weissberger, G. & Shrira, A. (2025). The effect of positive and negative daily social media experiences on older adults’ subjective age: Unveiling the negativity bias in Whatsapp groups. New Media and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241312525
Eitan, T., Naor, R. & Gazit, T. (2026). The silence of the web: Examining users’ emotional, behavioral, and cognitive reactions following a social media outage. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2026.2675636.
Gazit, T. (2026). Psychological characteristics of ‘Sharenting’ on social media. Media Frames, 28, 1-25. https://mediaframes.sapir.ac.il/psychological-characteristics/
Gazit, T., & Eden, S. (2025). From Screens to Scars: Understanding the Association Between Social Media Engagement and Trauma During Crises and Emergency Situations. Stress and Health, 41(6), e70115. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.70115
Gazit, T., Bergman, Y., Hoffman, Y., Weissberger, G. & Shrira, A. (2025). The effect of positive and negative daily social media experiences on older adults’ subjective age: Unveiling the negativity bias in Whatsapp groups. New Media and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241312525
Gazit, T., Tager-Shafrir, T., Zhong, H. X., Hung, P. C., & Cheung, V. (2025). The dark side of the interface: examining the influence of different background modes on cognitive performance. Ergonomics, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2025.2483451
Gazit, T., & Eden, S. (2025). Students engagement in a forced distance learning: the relation to personality characteristics. Educational Media International, 62(1), 77-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2024.2441140
Gal, L., Bronstein, J., & Gazit, T. (2025). Navigating parenthood in the digital landscape: a study on Facebook parenting community administrators. Journal of Documentation, 81(3), 638-656. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-09-2024-0233
Levine, D. & Gazit, T. (2025). Unorthodox information sources of coping with the COVID-19 crisis in the ultra-Orthodox society. Social Science Computer Review. 43(1), 89-109. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393241246282
Gazit, T. (2024). “For students shall not live by Zoom alone”: psychological factors explaining the engagement of students during the COVID-19. Information and Learning Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-02-2023-0019
Eitan, T. & Gazit, T. (2024). Explaining transformational leadership styles of digital leaders through the example of Facebook group admins. Technology in Society, 78, 102637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102637.
Levine, D. & Gazit, T. (2024). Unorthodox information sources of coping with the COVID-19 crisis in the ultra-Orthodox society. Social Science Computer Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393241246282
Eitan, T. & Gazit, T. (2024). The “here and now” effect: JoMO, FoMO and the well-being of social media users. Online Information Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-03-2023-0111
Gal, L., Bronstein, J. & Gazit, T. (2024). Whispering to parents: The personal and demographic uniqueness of Facebook parent community leaders. Media Frames (Hebrew). https://doi.org/10.57583/MF.2024.25.10042
Eitan, T. & Gazit, T. (2023). No social media for six hours? The emotional experience of Meta’s global outage according to FoMO, JoMO and Internet intensity. Computers in Human Behavior, 138, 107474. See here
Gazit, T., Nisim, S. & Ayalon, L. (2023). Intergenerational family WhatsApp groups and older adults' overall wellbeing. Online Information Review, 47 (2), 221-237. See here
Gazit, T., Mass, H. & Bronstein, J. (2023). Examining Facebook groups engaging in reading experiences: The Interactive Therapeutic Process perspective. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 41(1), 259–283. See here
Gazit, T. & Aharon, G. (2023). Does dark mode matter? The influence of the background color on users’ perception. iConference 2023 Proceedings. See here
Gazit, T. & Eden, S. (2023). Personality characteristics and students’ engagement in a forced distance learning. Proceedings of the 18th Chais Conference for the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies: Learning in the Digital Era, 3E-9E. See here
Levine, D. & Gazit, T. (2023). Ways of dealing with the Coronavirus crisis through traditional and digital sources of information among the Haredi public. Meida'at: Journal of Information Science and Librarianship (Hebrew), 20. See here
Rehman, U., Shah, M. U., Danzinger, F., Gazit, T., Hung, P. C., & Gurkas Aydin, G. Z. (2023). Guest editorial: Human factors in business technology management. EuroMed Journal of Business, 18(3), 313-320. See here
Avizohar, C., Gazit, T. & Aharony, N. (2023). Facebook medical support groups: The Communication Privacy Management perspective. Aslib Journal of Information Management. See here
Gal, L., Gazit, T. & Bronstein, J. (2023). The motivations of leaders to lead Facebook online groups: A case study of parenting groups. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-13. See here
Gazit, T. (2022). "For students shall not live by Zoom alone": Psychological factors explaining the engagement of students in academic studies during the COVID-19. Meida'at: Journal of Information Science and Librarianship (Hebrew). See here
Gazit. T. (2021). Key motivations for leading Facebook communities: A Uses and Gratifications approach. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 73 (3), 454-472. See here.
Gazit. T. (2021). Exploring leadership in Facebook communities: Personality traits and activities. Proceedings of the 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences HICSS (Jan, 2021), See paper here and a short video here
Eitan, T. & Gazit, T. (2021). Leader behaviors in Facebook support groups: An exploratory study. Current Psychology. See here
Gazit, T. & Bronstein, J. (2020). An exploration of the leadership strategies of Facebook community leaders. Online Information Review, 45(1), 99-117. See here
Gazit, T. & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2020). Factors underlying engagement in Facebook support groups of female infertility patients, Psychological Reports, 124(3), 1150-1173. See here
Bar-Ilan, J., Gazit, T. & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2020). Leading factors that explain engagement in closed Facebook groups. Information Research, 25(3), paper 866. See here
Gazit, T., Aharony, N. & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2019). Tell me who you are and I will tell you which SNS you use: SNSs Participation frequency. Online Information Review, 44(1), 139-161. See here
Gazit, T. (2019, April). Engagement in Facebook learning groups. iConference 2019, University of Maryland, Washington, DC, USA. See here
Gazit, T., Amichai-Hamburger, A., & Bar-Ilan, J. (2019, February). Student engagement in a Facebook group supporting a university course, A paper presented at Chais2019 conference, Open University, Ra'anana: Israel. See here
Aharony, N., & Gazit, T. (2019). Factors affecting students' information literacy self-efficacy. Library Hi-Tech, 37(2), 183-196. See here
Gazit, T. & Aharony, N. (2018, October). WhatsApp Groups Managers Characteristics. ISIC conference 2018, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Gazit, T. & Aharony, N. (2018). Factors Explaining Participation in WhatsApp Groups: An Exploratory Study. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 70 (4), 390-413. See here
Gazit, T., Bronstein, J., Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Aharony, N., Bar-Ilan, J., & Perez, O. (2018). Active participants and lurkers in online discussion groups: a qualitative analysis of focus groups. Information Research, 23 (2) paper 791. Retrieved from http://www.informationr.net/ir/23-2/paper791.html
Aharony, N., & Gazit, T. (2018). Students' information literacy self-efficacy: An exploratory study. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(1), 224-236. See here
Perez, O., Bar-Ilan, J., Gazit, T., Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Aharony, N., & Bronstein, J. (2018). The Prospects of E-Democracy: An experimental study of collaborative E- Rulemaking. Journal of Information Technology & Politics. See here
Gazit, T. (2017). Participation and Lurking in Social Discussions in Facebook Groups. (Doctoral Dissertation). Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. See here
Aharony, N., & Gazit, T. (2016). The Importance of the WhatsApp Family Group: An Exploratory Analysis. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 68 (2), 174 – 192. See here
Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Gazit, T., Bar-Ilan, J., Perez, O., Aharony, N., Bronstein, J., & Dyne, T. S. (2016). Psychological factors behind the lack of participation. Computers in Human Behavior, 55(1), 268-277. See here
Bronstein, J., Gazit, T., Perez, O., Bar-Ilan, J., Aharony, N., & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2016). An examination of the factors contributing to participation in online social platforms. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 36 (6), 793-818. See here
PAPERS PRESENTED AT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES
Gazit, T. (2026, July). Between FoMO and JoMO: Psychological mechanisms shaping sharenting in digital parenting. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Israeli Communication Association, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
Gazit, T. & Bayraktar, F. (2026, May). Why parents overshare: The role of FoMO, JoMO, and social comparison in sharenting behavior. Paper presented at the 13th European Conference on Social Media, Larnaca, Cyprus.
Isser, M. & Gazit, T. (2026, March). Social media for mental health: Informational, social, and emotional support in ADHD Facebook communities. Paper presented at the 24th International Conference e-Society 2026, Zagreb, Croatia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVVsNPJrqfE
Gazit, T., Gefen, A., Gal, L. & Telem, L. (2026, February). Artificial intelligence is already here – but where is the academic stuff? Paper presented at the Chais Conference 2026, The Open University of Israel. https://www.openu.ac.il/chais_2026/64/
Zaklas, N. & Gazit, T. (2025, November). The use of AI-generated social stories as a behavioral intervention tool for children in times of crisis. Paper presented at the Technology and Science Building Resilience Conference, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.
Asley, T. & Gazit, T. (2025, November). Divorced women from Arab society in Israel sharing in virtual spaces. Poster presented at the Technology and Science Building Resilience Conference, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.
Isser, M. & Gazit, T. (2025, November). Informational, emotional, and social support in ADHD Facebook groups. Poster presented at the Technology and Science Building Resilience Conference, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.
Zaklas, N. & Gazit, T. (2025, September). The use of AI-generated social stories as a behavioral intervention tool for children in times of crisis. Paper presented at the Israeli Conference for Research in Education, Akko, Israel.
Gazit, T. & Eden, S. (2025, July). Digital echoes of trauma: Social media engagement in times of crisis. Paper presented at the European Congress of Psychology (ECP), Paphos, Cyprus. European Journal of Psychology Open 84 (Supp 1), 41-42. https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/epdf/10.1024/2673-8627/a000085
Gazit, T. & Eitan, T. (2025, July). Silence in the age of noise: From FoMO to JoMO in a hyperconnected world. Paper presented at the International Conference on Behavioral Addictions (ICBA), Nantes, France. In Journal of Behavioral Addictions (14), 40. https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/14/supplement1/article-p1.xml
Gazit, T. & Eitan, T. (2024, July). Breaking free from social media: Enhancing well-being through JoMO, personality dynamics, and demographic factors. Paper presented at the International Conference on Social Media & Society, London, UK.
Gazit, T. (2024, July). Unveiling the joy of missing out (JoMO): Social media, personality, and well-being. Paper presented at the International Congress of Psychology, Prague, Czech Republic.
Gal, L., Gazit, T. & Bronstein, J. (2024, April). It takes a (digital) village: Facebook parenting community leaders. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Israeli Communication Association, Reichman University, Israel.
Gazit, T. (2023, March). Does dark mode matter? The influence of background color on users’ perception. Paper presented at the iConference 2023, Barcelona, Spain.
Gazit, T. (2022, May). The leaders of virtual communities: Who are they and why is it important to recognize them? Paper presented at the INFO 2022 – The 36th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Tel Aviv, Israel. https://www.teldan.com/info2022/39-mon-9-5-22/262-virt-comm-2022
Mass, H., Gazit, T. & Bronstein, J. (2022, May). Examining participation in Facebook groups engaging in reading experiences. Poster presented at the Conceptions of Library and Information Science (CoLIS11), Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway.
Gazit, T. (2021, April). Facebook community leaders: Characteristics, strategies, and motivations. Paper presented at the Libraries in the Digital Age (LIDA) Conference, Inter-University Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia. http://lida.ffos.hr/abstracts_2021/LIDA_2021_paper_66.docx
Gazit, T. (2021, January). Exploring leadership in Facebook communities: Personality traits and activities. Paper presented at the 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2021.369
Gazit, T. (2019, September). Leading factors that enhance engagement in closed Facebook groups. Paper presented at the Communication & Media Studies: The Future of Democracy in the Digital Age, University of Bonn, Germany. https://oncommunicationmedia.com/2019-conference
Gazit, T. (2019, April). Engagement in Facebook learning groups. Poster presented at the iConference 2019, University of Maryland, Washington, DC, USA. https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/103310
Gazit, T. (2019, July). Facebook groups as companions to academic courses: How can engagement be fostered? Paper presented at the 17th MITAL Conference, Rabin Center, Tel Aviv, Israel (Session A2: Innovative Teaching Models).
Gazit, T., Amichai-Hamburger, A., & Bar-Ilan, J. (2019, February). Student engagement in a Facebook group supporting a university course. Paper presented at the Chais 2019 Conference, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel. https://www.openu.ac.il/innovation/chais2019/f/a1_1.pdf
Gazit, T. (2018, October). Characteristics of WhatsApp group managers. Poster presented at the Information Seeking in Context (ISIC) Conference 2018, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Gazit, T. (2018, April). Internet psychology: Dating sites. Paper presented at the Technology and Information in the Digital Age Conference, Department of Information Science, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.
Gazit, T. (2017, May). Ask us a question: Who and what enhance discussions in Facebook groups? Paper presented at the INFO 2017 – The 32nd Annual Conference & Exhibition, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Gazit, T. (2014, May). Internet psychology: Participation and lurking in discussion groups. Paper presented at the INFO 2014 – The 29th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Tel Aviv, Israel.
INVITED TALKS
Gazit, T. (2025, November). The post that remains: The lasting impact of social media on trauma during the “Iron Swords” war. Invited lecture, Israel Internet Association.
Gazit, T. (2025, August). Internet psychology. Invited lecture for HR executives and academic partnership leaders, Office of the Vice President for Industry Relations and the Academia–Employment Bridge Center, Bar-Ilan University.
Gazit, T. (2025, April). Sharenting in the digital age: Between parental pride and children’s privacy. Invited seminar, Center for Research on Innovation in Learning Technologies, The Open University of Israel.
Gazit, T. (2025, March). Silence in the age of noise: From FoMO to JoMO in a hyperconnected world. Invited faculty colloquium, School of Communication, Tel Aviv University.
Gazit, T. (2025, January). Silence in the age of noise: From FoMO to JoMO in a hyperconnected world. Invited faculty colloquium, School of Communication, Reichman University.
Gazit, T. (2024, June). From FoMO to JoMO: Digital well-being in a hyperconnected world. Invited lecture, Ph.D. program graduation event, School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University.
Gazit, T. (2024, June). The benefits and challenges of group belonging online and offline. Invited panel, Data Science and Networks research group on social polarization in Israel, Menomadin Center for Jewish and Democratic Law, Faculty of Law, Bar-Ilan University.
Gazit, T. (2024, April). “What’s up, my family?”: The importance of family WhatsApp groups among older adults. Invited lecture as part of the “Ashnav LaMada” (Window to Science) program for older adults, Brookdale Program, Israel.
Gazit, T. (2023–2024). “Science in the Lobby”: A series of invited lectures delivered in hotels to evacuees from communities near the Gaza border following the October 7 events.
Gazit, T. (2023, February). Prosocial leadership in social media. Invited lecture for social media influencers from Arab society, Bar-Ilan University.
Gazit, T. (2023, May; August). The minimal group paradigm and social polarization in the digital age. Invited lectures במסגרת תוכנית “Masa’ot Da’at”, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute.
Gazit, T. (2022, October). FoMO: The fear of missing out. Invited online lecture for Bar-Ilan University alumni, Bar-Ilan University.
Media
Forget FoMO. Embrace JoMO - Washington Post (English)
JoMO Comics - Washington Post (English)
WhatsApp groups - The Guardian (English)
My website (in Hebrew)
An interview about social media engagement and trauma during the Israel-Hamas war (Hebrew)
Washington Post – Fear of missing out? Find the joy in saying ‘no.’ (English)
An interview with Prof. Yoram Yovel about heart break at the digital age (Hebrew)
Facebook community leaders (English)
Does Dark Mode Matter? (English)
A short video clip about my PhD dissertation (English)
Student engagement in a Facebook group supporting a university course (Hebrew)
Love online (in Hebrew)
Online addiction (in Hebrew)
Last Updated Date : 17/06/2026
