Digital Integration

The research group "Digital Integration" deals mainly with the potential of digitalisation with a special focus on social media, which enable social inclusion across different segments of the population.

This research group conducted research at the Weizenbaum Institute from 2017 to 2022. In the newly launched research program, research will henceforth be organised in 16 research groups. These will be flanked and supported by the new Weizenbaum Digital Science Center.

Our research contribution to social inclusion

Social inclusion, a central component of any democratic society, has emerged as a particularly critical issue in the face of recent ongoing refugee crises. A sudden wave of migration has raised a number of challenges including operational ones such as expedient and unbureaucratic registration, provision of medical support, transportation and housing; as well as more strategic challenges such as equal access to education, employment, and housing, to name just three.

Given the IT-savviness of so many of the refugees at present, social media and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) could become powerful tools in supporting integration processes. Up to now, however, the role of digital technology in supporting social inclusion is a research question that has hardly been investigated. As a member of our research team, you will join us in exploring the possibilities and potentials, as we seek to gain further insights into the role of ICT in social integration processes.