What is PsyberSpace®
Hello!
I’m your host, Leslie Poston
Every week I’ll be there for you, hosting PsyberSpace on your favorite podcast player, helping you wrap your head around what’s happening in our world with solid research.
Why me? I’m a PhD candidate in the Applied Psychology program at Fielding Graduate University, host of this podcast, and a research assistant in the Society, Technology, and Subjectivity Lab(STS-Lab). My own research examines how social media platforms, digital spaces, and AI systems shape identity, emotion, resistance, and everyday sense-making, with a particular focus on TikTok, Discord, reddit, and other social and dark social communities as digital “third places.” Drawing on qualitative, quantitative, and critical approaches, I study how people adapt their language and self-presentation in response to algorithmic systems, and how these dynamics intersect with power, neurodivergence, and social justice in mediated environments.
Prior to embarking on my research career, I was a Chief Marketing Officer in the B2B SaaS AI space with two successful exits.
Science is magic that works.
Kurt Vonnegut
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The Research
In addition to drawing on my own knowledge from my studies, PsyberSpace® explores new research each week to bring you the most current thinking on the topics we cover. We have access to the complete research libraries of two universities in addition to publicly available sources such as Google Scholar, pre-prints, and Open Science publications. We’re also not shy about asking authors for copies of their studies when we can’t find them via the usual sources! We promise, researchers love that. Never be afraid to reach out to them.
02
The Education
I hold a BA in Organizational Psychology from UMass Amherst, a MA in Media Psychology from Fielding Graduate University, a MA in Applied Psychology with a concentration in technology and media from Fielding Graduate University, and soon a Ph.D. from Fielding as well. I also have a certificate in the Psychology of Popularity from UNC.
03
What is the PsyberSpace® Podcast
I started this podcast because I wanted to make everything that is happening less confusing, and help people find and understand real research that could help them in their day to day lives. I also wanted to have a place to offer you research-backed advice on how to live your best life: at work, at home, at school, and out in society.