Digital Public Sphere
Public discourse changes in the course of digital transformation. New technologies give rise to new media intermediaries – online services providing information – such as search engines, social networks or video platforms. Never have there been more options for participation and influence. In light of this digitalised public sphere, how do we ensure diversity, which is the basis for democratic opinion-forming?
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Event Crime scene democracy: digital media under suspicion
Digital media outlets have become a vital element in distributing and using political information as well as political coordination and participation. Nevertheless, digital media also raise concerns: they might affect political polarisation and contribute to the spread of false information. Fake news, bots, filter bubbles – the panel discussion shed light on these and other topics, discussing them within a broader context.
The formation of public opinion in the digital age
Facebook, YouTube, and Google – digitalisation gave rise to new players in forming opinions. This leads to a shift, or redistribution, of influence on public opinion. The bidt working paper “Meinungsmachtkontrolle und Vielfaltsmonitoring im digitalen Zeitalter“ reflects on terminologies that are inseparably linked to the discussion on the impact of social media.
Glossary Gamification
To increase motivation, fun and learning processes, typical elements from games are integrated into processes. These can include systems such as skill trees, guilds, ranking lists or even storytelling. The areas of application also vary: Whether marketing and customer loyalty, health and sport or even employee training, gamification is taking place everywhere. Problems due to the potential for manipulation or lack of consent are discussed.
Metaverse
The concept of the metaverse is the idea of a space beyond the physical world, which, according to a more recent definition, can be imagined as a collaborative online universe. Digital assets are to be perceived and exchanged here with the help of technologies. The cornerstones include cryptocurrencies, blockchain, AR and VR.
Nudging
Findings from psychological and behavioral economics research have shown that human behavior often does not match the predictions of rational economic theories. Heuristics, mental shortcuts or rules of thumb, as a preferred basis for decision-making, enable faster decision-making processes, but are susceptible to cognitive distortions. Nudging instrumentalizes these distortions in order to predictably influence people’s behaviour.
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Prof. Dr. Hannah Schmid-Petri
Member of bidt's Board of Directors | Chair of Science Communication, University of Passau
