Welcome to the Blog of the Research Group Dynamics of Digital Mobilization of the Weizenbaum Institute and Freie Universität Berlin!
Our research group investigates the logics and interrelationship of digital information infrastructures, (transnational) mobilizations in networked digital publics, the dynamics of diffusion and manipulation of information under conditions of automation and algorithmic control, and the quality of public debates in Europe and on an international scale.
RESEARCH BLOG
- Discussions and exciting insights at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance (CDDGG), University of Canberra, AustraliaThe Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance (CDDGG) at the University of Canberra, Australia, is a globally recognized leader in deliberative governance research, dedicated to exploring how inclusive and reflective communication can empower people in political decision-making. The center explores the impact of public deliberation in polarized and post-crisis contexts and advances theoretical debates and methodological innovations in deliberative democracy. Following an invitation by Professor and Centre Director Selen Ercan and Dr Jordan McSwiney, former fellow of the Weizenbaum Institute, Dr. Annett Heft presented her collaborative work done with Dr. Killian Buehling and Xixuan Zhang at the Centre’s research […]
- Podcast: Understanding Conspiracy Theories on Alternative PlatformsIn the latest episode of the NEOVEX podcast, Maik Fielitz from the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Jena, responsible for the area of right-wing extremism and democracy research at the IDZ, sits down with Dr. Kilian Bühling, a researcher at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, working on the researching diffusion dynamics of conspiracy theories and adaptation strategies in hybrid information spaces. During their conversation, Fielitz and Bühling discuss the critical role alternative platforms play in the communication systems of right-wing extremists and conspiracy theorists. They explore how the platform cultures influence the spread of conspiracy theories […]
- New Edition of The Research Monitor (fyi 15): Right-Wing Movements and Their Threat to DemocracyThe Research Monitor (fyi 15) published on the 4th of June a new edition which compiles seven studies and an interview with Dr. Annett Heft. The publication entails the current state of research on right-wing movements, highlighting why they pose a serious threat to democracy and suggesting which efforts can be made to counteract them. In her interview, Annett Heft discusses the significant challenges that anti-democratic movements present to modern democracies and social cohesion. These movements reject essential democratic principles such as equality, political diversity, and minority protection. Moreover, she points out that the rise of such movements, evidenced by […]
- Fellow Talk with our Research Fellow Dominik SchindlerVisiting the research group in May Dominik Schindler, Ph.D. candidate in Applied Mathematics at Imperial College London, gave a talk on his latest research on May, 14. In his talk, titled “Bayesian Knowledge – Situated and Pluriversal Perspectives on Machine Learning”, he explored the fundamental mathematical structures of machine learning (ML) and challenged some of the assumptions underlying ML at a mathematical level. Informed by feminist and decolonial critiques of Western epistemologies, he demonstrated that seemingly innocent mathematical structures can inscribe epistemologies that invalidate other forms of knowledge production, resulting in epistemic violence. Lastly, he explored the potential of subjective […]
- Varities of antigender politics: applying a contextual lensDespite their shared antigenderism, populist radical-right parties’ contestation of gender and sexual equality forms a continuum rather than being homogenous across countries. Susanne Reinhardt, Annett Heft, and Elena Pavan argue that varieties of antigenderism are best understood through a party’s societal context, ideology, and voter expectations. Read more into this subject by clicking here.
- The new Steering Committee of the ECPR Standing Group on Political CommunicationWe are happy to announce that our team member Daniel Thiele (Freie Universität Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute) was elected to the new Steering Committee of the ECPR Standing Group on Political Communication, announced on April 26th! The Standing Group on Political Communication encompasses research on the interactions among politics, media, and the public. This research network provides a solid structure for scholars in the field of political communication to collaborate, offering workshops to train scholars in: methodological design, interdisciplinary challenges, media and survey data, automated content analysis; as well as, organizing sections at annual conferences. In addition to conducting these activities, the […]
- CLOUD-C: Climate, social media and transnational research workshopOn April 18th and 19th, we hosted the workshop “CLOUD-C: Climate, Social Media, and Transnational Research” at the Weizenbaum Institute, Berlin, co-organized with the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH). The Cloud-C Project is an international collaboration developed by the HSSH, focused on analyzing the discourse on climate politics in social media. This transnational project comprises a team of over 20 researchers who collectively work on a shared dataset of 18 million Tweets from the COP 26 and COP 27 UN Climate Change conferences. By examining the intersection of climate change and social media dynamics, the project aims […]
- 2nd Place for the Best Paper Award by DGPuKWe extend our congratulations to Annett Heft and Kilian Buehling (both Freie Universität Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute) along with their esteemed colleagues, Pablo Jost (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz), Maximilian Zehring, Hendrik Bitzmann, and Emese Domahidi (all Technische Universität Ilmenau), and Heidi Schulze (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich), for their notable achievement of receiving the 2nd place for the Best Journal Paper in Communication Science 2023 Award by German Society for Communication Science (DGPuK). Their paper titled “Mapping a Dark space: Challenges in Sampling and Classifying Non- Institutionalized Actors on Telegram” was published in Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft in 2023. Their work critically addresses the challenges prevalent in […]
- Unveiling the Stylistic Dynamics of Conspiracy Theory Communication in Digital SpacesToday, the proliferation of conspiracy theories has become a prevalent issue, often fueled by the expansive reach of digital forums and social media platforms. A collaborative project led by Annett Heft, Kilian Buehling, Xixuan Zhang (all Freie University of Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute), research on the complex nuances of online communication surrounding conspiracy narratives. In their investigation, they analyze conspiracy-related communication on social media platforms like 4chan and Reddit, and Twitter, as both the origin for radicalized user communities, and avenues for disseminate conspiracy theories. Central to their findings is the recognition of platform-specific influences on communication dynamics. From the anonymity and […]