Unser Jahresbericht über die drei „Corona-Jahre“ 2020 bis 2022 ist nun auch in englischer Sprache verfügbar. Er bietet einen Überblick über die in dieser Zeit durchgeführten Forschungsprojekte zu gesellschaftlich relevanter Kommunikation sowie über unsere Transferaktivitäten.
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Zur deutschen Version des Berichts geht es hier.
Aus dem Vorwort "Change and Growth in the Corona Years"
Today, as you stroll through the institute, you find yourself greeted by the familiar and friendly faces of colleagues from various departments. Others, however, remain largely present through the virtual lens of Zoom windows. The pandemic, mirroring its impact elsewhere, has substantially redefined our work methodologies within the institute, causing a disruption in our plans. As a small, independent institute, the HBI has had to navigate through the COVID crisis largely on its own, and even had to close its doors at times. New Bredows met their more established colleagues for the first time at the closed meeting in 2022, which heralded the return to a new normality for the institute.
The growth of the HBI’s research team has matched its growth in productivity. Other significant changes occurred simply as a consequence of the passing of time: In October 2021, longtime institute director Uwe Hasebrink retired. The form of his farewell was more in keeping with his character than his role at the institute and its work: celebration substituted intellect and hyperbole took a back seat. A bench installed in Uwe’s honour in the institute’s garden bears the question, in celebration of his enduring spirit, “What would Uwe do?” This question highlights the pivotal role he maintains within the institute. He continues to steer the HBI’s development over several decades; his intelligence, forward-looking perspective, cooperative nature, and empathy persist unchanged. Retiring with a sense of assurance, he leaves behind a lasting legacy built upon remarkably solid foundations - a legacy that leaves a palpable void in his absence.
In February 2023, to our great delight, Judith Möller assumed the role of his successor in the professorship jointly established by HBI and the Universität Hamburg. Leaving behind the research-intensive environment of the University of Amsterdam, her alignment with HBI through her work is impeccable. Furthermore, her background in collaborating with computer science introduces a progressively significant facet to our research pursuits.
The institute’s embrace of the computational field can be seen in the establishment of a Media Research Methods Lab (MRML) which bundles the methodological expertise at the HBI within an organisational unit that places a special focus on linking established social science methods with new types of digital processes. In addition, we are working with colleagues from the Department of Computer Science at Universität Hamburg on several projects focused on methods that will help us better understand the socio-technical ecosystems in which communication takes place today.
In view of the tasks ahead of us, we will probably sit down on Uwe’s bench for a long time to come. Current planning for increasingly sophisticated research projects has seen the institute apply for assistance with a strategic expansion in 2022, the assessment of which will take place in 2023 and 2024. This expansion also aims to go beyond individual media and capture the socio-technical environment to establish the necessary competencies and procedures at the institution. It aims to enable a more flexible transfer of knowledge.
The institute is very grateful to the Authority for Science, Research, Gender Equality, and Districts of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and the members of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Advisory Board for their support in developing the concept for our strategic expansion.
Alongside these significant strategic developments, the institution fulfilled its mission during the reporting period, conducting relevant research on communication and making the findings available to the public. More about this in this report
Wolfgang Schulz, June 2023
Hamburg, 13. September 2023
