News, Campaigns and the Rationality of Public Discourse

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.

• To the overview of the current research program
• To the successor group "Digital News Dynamics"
• To the overview of the research program of the set-up phase

Quality standards and truth claims in social networks

Moreover, it can be observed that quality standards and truth claims in the public sphere of social networks and user-generated communication are shifting without any foreseeable consequences for the informational level and behaviour of citizens.

An important question is which conditions and context factors influence the mechanisms and dynamics of “postfactual” news and defamation campaigns. What are the differences between the rhetoric of right and left groups, populist and traditional parties in digital media and networks? How does user-driven communication differ from algorithm-based campaigns (e.g. opinion bots)?

Two questions were at the centre of attention:

• Which forms and types of political campaigns do we encounter in the digital world, and how do arguments spread on different digital platforms and networks?
• Social Media, Social Bots and Disinformation Campaigns: Which factors influence political topic careers in hybrid media systems?

FORMER MEMBERS OF THE RESEARCH GROUP

Prof. Dr. Christoph Neuberger, Scientific Managing Director (FU), Principal Investigator

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Klinger, Research Group Lead

• Frederik Körber
• Franziska Martini
• Anna-Theresa Mayer
• Dr. Jakob Ohme
• Annika Schütz
• Xixuan Zhang

Publications