Leibniz Institute for Media Research - Hans Bredow Institute

Fassade des Gebäudes (Ausschnitt mit Hausnummer)

We Are Now Located at Warburgstraße 30 B!

The highlight of our anniversary year celebrating the institute's 75th birthday was our move into a new building on Warburgstraße in Hamburg! On December 1, 2025, we moved into an extensively renovated building close to the Alster that is perfectly adapted to our research and event needs.
Illustration: ein Jugendlicher im Handy-Bildschirm und T-Shirt mit Aufdruck "Algorithmus" legt seinen Arm um einen Jugendlichen vor dem Bildschirm

How Young People Use the TikTok Algorithm

Young people often use TikTok as a news source, but are not always aware that they may be exposed to various forms of manipulation through the TikTok algorithm. A new qualitative #UseTheNews study by the HBI shows how teenagers and young adults use the platform and interact with the algorithm.
Eine junge Familie mit zwei Kleinkindern posiert vor Ringlicht und Handy

Babies and Toddlers as Family Influencers

The HBI is conducting a qualitative and quantitative study to examine how babies and young children under the age of five are portrayed on commercial German-language 'family influencing' profiles on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. A team led by Dr. Claudia Lampert and Dr. Stephan Dreyer is discussing the findings in relation to the existing legal framework and media ethics considerations.
View from the stage in the ballroom of Hamburg City Hall looking out at the large audience

We Celebrate 75 Years of Media Research!

With numerous guests from fields of science, politics, media, and culture, we celebrated our 75th anniversary on June 17–18, 2025, with a festive reception at Hamburg City Hall and an academic symposium at NDR entitled “Why Media Research? How the Discipline and Its Role in Society Are Changing.”
Eine Gruppe junger Leute schaut auf ihr Handy

German Findings of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025

Trust in the news remains high in Germany. 45% of the adult online population believes that most news is generally trustworthy. At the same time, the majority of respondents believe that news produced by humans is more trustworthy than news generated by AI.
Two figures with VR headsets look at each other.

Use and Perception of Generative AI for Searching Information in Germany

Artificial intelligence in applications such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, known as generative AI, is already used by almost 44 percent of the online population. Its use correlates strongly with age. The findings of the study are now presented in two videos, a report and a podcast.
AI-generated image showing three clay figures taking a selfie

When Filtering Distorts Body Image

Due to beauty filters, young people are often confronted with unrealistic beauty ideals on social media. This can lead to body image disorders as well as eating disorders. So should edited images be labeled? Not a good idea, says an expert opinion by the HBI on behalf of the KJM: The legal requirements for an enforceable legal regulation are high, and the positive effects of labeling are controversial. Instead of a legal labeling requirement, the algorithms of the platforms could be adapted to promote more diverse and realistic body representations.
The fingertips of a natural and a robotic hand touch each other

Automation of Social Communication

The HBI, the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) at the University of Bremen and other research institutions in Graz and Vienna have successfully acquired a Research Unit from the German Research Foundation (DFG) on the topic of "Communicative Artificial Intelligence (ComAI)”.

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Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute

Gruppenbild der Mitglieder des USK-Beirats
Meldung Child and Youth Media Protection

Stephan Dreyer on the USK Advisory Board

Dr. Stephan Dreyer has taken on the role of legal expert on the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK)'s advisory board. The committee was reconstituted in December 2025 for the 2026–2028 term. The advisory board unites experts from institutions involved in German youth media protection, including those from society, science, politics, and business.

Publikation Internet Policy Review

Can Quality Badges Improve Communication on Online Platforms?

A seal of approval for civil communication could promote successful public communication on online platforms while respecting users'freedoms. In their article 'Platform Badges for Civic Communication. An Interdisciplinary Discussion of a Risk Mitigation Measure Pursuant to Art.', Jan Rau, Jan-Ole Harfst and Dr. Tobias Mast examine various design options for such seals.

Cover of the publication
Publikation Open Access Publication

Global Media and Internet Concentration

The report offers a thorough overview of the development, economic importance, and market concentration of major companies in Germany's telecommunications, media, publishing, and internet sectors from 2019 to 2023. It places a particular focus on the growing dominance of digital platforms.

Stephan Dreyer
Meldung Podcast Recommendation

Are We All Living in a Filter Bubble?

In the podcast "klicksafe Asks... The Media Podcast" (episode 10, only available in German), media lawyer Dr. Stephan Dreyer says that most people are not living in a filter bubble. In fact, filter bubbles have only been scientifically proven to exist for a very small portion of the population.

Cover der Zeitschrift "Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft" Heft 4/2025
Publikation Available Open Access

Issue 4/2025 M&K published

Issue 4/2025 of our open access journal “Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft" (M&K; Media & Communication Studies) has been published online via the platform Inlibra.

Vorständin Kristina Hein schneidet ein rotes Band durch zur Eröffnung des neuen Gebäudes, Vorstandsmitglieder Wolfgang Schulz und Judith Möller freuen sich mit ihr.
Meldung New Building

We Are Now Located at Warburgstraße 30 B!

The highlight of our anniversary year celebrating the institute's 75th birthday was our move into a new building on Warburgstraße in Hamburg! On December 1, 2025, we moved into an extensively renovated building close to the Alster that is perfectly adapted to our research and event needs.

Gesprächsrunde: Fünf Personen sitzen auf Stühlen vor bunten Roll-up-Bannern in einem Raum mit Bücherregalen.
Meldung Video Recording Available

News Usage, News Avoidance, and Digital Public Spheres

As part of Hamburg's Press Freedom Week, researchers from the HBI met with journalists to discuss the current challenges facing journalism, news avoidance, and the differences between journalism and influence.

Cover of the Book Chapter
Publikation Chapter in Cohesion Report

The Climate Discourse on Social Media

The Social Media Observatory (SMO) examined the dynamics of climate discourse on social media for the Research Institute Social Cohesion's (RISC) second cohesion report. The study found that climate scepticism and misinformation are common in social media debates. However, it is evident that these views are significantly less prevalent in wider society.

Gruppe Junger Menschen, die auf einem Netzwerkboden sitzen
Meldung Event Review

DigiMeet 2025: Platform Governance and Power

What are the current developments in global platform governance? This question was explored at the Digitalisation Research and Network Meeting (DigiMeet), organized by the HBI, bidt, CAIS, and WI. Sixty doctoral and postdoctoral researchers took part in the virtual event on November 6 and presented their research.

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