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Dr. David Houghton is a distinguished researcher in digital marketing and social media, based at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Business. An Associate Professor in Marketing and Dean of Accreditation, his work critically examines how individuals and organisations engage with online platforms, with a particular emphasis on privacy, self-disclosure, and the psychological effects of digital interaction.

With over , Dr. Houghton’s research has made a lasting impact on the understanding of user behaviour in digital environments. The widely cited paper on the “chilling effect” of Facebook—co-authored with Ben Marder, Adam Joinson, and Avi Shankar—has been particularly influential in shaping discourse around online self-censorship and social dynamics.

Dr. Houghton’s collaborative research spans institutions such as the University of , , Bristol, and Edinburgh, reflecting a strong interdisciplinary approach that integrates marketing, psychology, linguistics, and information systems. His applied research has addressed key societal challenges, including healthcare communication, trade union engagement, and political impression management on social media.

Through rigorous empirical methods and a commitment to real-world relevance, Dr. Houghton continues to advance the field of digital consumer behaviour, offering valuable insights into how technology shapes human interaction and organisational strategy.

Visit my  profile, or  for up-to-date information on publications and research.

Alignment with UN SDGs.

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

• Leek, S., Houghton, D., & Canning, L. (2019). Twitter and behavioral engagement in the healthcare sector: An examination of product and service companies. Industrial Marketing Management, 81, 115–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.01.005
• Leek, S., Canning, L., & Houghton, D. (2016). Revisiting the Task Media Fit Model in the era of Web 2.0: Twitter use and interaction in the healthcare sector. Industrial Marketing Management, 54, 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.12.001

SDG 4 - Quality Education

• Marder, B., Houghton, D., Erz, A., Harris, L., & Javornik, A. (2020). Smile(y)–and your students will smile with you? The effects of emoticons on impressions, evaluations, and behaviour in staff-to-student communication. Studies in Higher Education, 45(11), 2274–2286. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1602757

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economics Growth

• Houghton, D. J., & Hodder, A. (2021). Understanding trade union usage of social media: A case study of the Public and Commercial Services union on Facebook and Twitter. New Technology, Work and Employment, 36(2), 219–239. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12179
• Hodder, A., & Houghton, D. J. (2020). Unions, social media and young workers—evidence from the UK. New Technology, Work and Employment, 35(1), 40–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12156
• Hodder, A., & Houghton, D. (2015). Union use of social media: A study of the University and College Union on Twitter. New Technology, Work and Employment, 30(3), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12056

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Houghton, D., Pressey, A., & Istanbulluoglu, D. (2020). Who needs social networking? An empirical enquiry into the capability of Facebook to meet human needs and satisfaction with life. Computers in Human Behavior, 104, 106153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106153
• Marder, B., Shankar, A., Houghton, D., & Joinson, A. (2017). “What if my mum sees it?”: Examination of visible brand interaction in the presence of a wider network. Information Technology & People, 30(1), 210–226. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2015-0073
• Marder, B., Slade, E., Houghton, D., & Archer-Brown, C. (2016). “I like them, but won't ‘like’ them”: An examination of impression management associated with visible political party affiliation on Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 280–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.036

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

• Vasalou, A., Joinson, A. N., & Houghton, D. (2015). Privacy as a fuzzy concept: A new conceptualization of privacy for practitioners. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 66(5), 918–929. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23211
• Joinson, A. N., Houghton, D. J., & Vasalou, A. (2011). Digital crowding: Privacy, self-disclosure, and technology. In A. N. Joinson et al. (Eds.), Privacy Online: Perspectives on Privacy and Self-Disclosure in the Social Web (pp. 33–45). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9962-6_3
• Houghton, D. J., & Joinson, A. N. (2010). Privacy, social network sites, and social relations. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 28(1–2), 74–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228831003770775

Dr. Houghton’s collaborative research spans institutions such as the University of , , Bristol, and Edinburgh, reflecting a strong interdisciplinary approach that integrates marketing, psychology, linguistics, and information systems. His applied research has addressed key societal challenges, including healthcare communication, trade union engagement, and political impression management on social media.

Through rigorous empirical methods and a commitment to real-world relevance, Dr. Houghton continues to advance the field of digital consumer behaviour, offering valuable insights into how technology shapes human interaction and organisational strategy.

Keywords: -

1. Digital Consumer Behaviour
2. Online Privacy and Self-Disclosure
3. Social Media Psychology
4. Interdisciplinary Marketing Research
5. Organisational Communication in Digital Contexts

Marketing Communications and Digital Media

Strategic Brand Management