News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
Algorithmic Amplification of Negative Discourse as a Systemic Risk
How does attention-economy-driven algorithmic amplification of conflict-driven and negative-emotional communication distort public discourse? And does this distortion constitute a systemic risk under the Digital Services Act (DSA)? This blog article refers to our previous blogpost on "Platform Badges for Civic Communication", explains why such interventions are needed, and outlines how they could address these systemic risks.
Public Service Media Enabling Dialogue
For the project “Dialog Formats in Public Service Media,” Magdalena Stratmann conducted a literature analysis on “The Role of Public Service Media as Enablers of Dialogue in Digitalized Societies.” This analysis is now available for download as a working paper.
How the Digital Services Act (DSA) Regulates Platforms
U.S. politicians accuse the European Union of endangering freedom of expression with the Digital Services Act (DSA). However, media law expert Dr. Christian Ollig argues that the DSA actually protects users' opinions from arbitrary censorship by platform operators. It also gives users a legal basis to assert their freedom of expression against large platform operators at the European level.
France Moves toward Stricter Social Media Regulations
France's National Assembly introduced a ban on social media for children and young people under the age of 15. Stephan Dreyer finds the French approach difficult. In a statement for the Science Media Center (SMC), Dreyer explains the limited scope of action available to individual EU countries regarding bans on social networks, as well as the possible effects of such a law in France.
Health Communication
Claudia Lampert, along with Prof. Dr. Eva Baumann and Dr. Bettina Fromm, published an article in the Health Sciences handbook that provides an overview of health communication. The handbook is now in its eighth edition.
Code of X’s Algorithm Published
X (formerly Twitter) has published the source code of the software that selects and evaluates posts for the “For You” feed. It is apparent that the feed is predominantly populated by AI, the basis of whose data is unclear. In an expert opinion for the Science Media Center, Dr. Gregor Wiedemann and other experts have explained why the publication is therefore not very meaningful.
Science Communication Staff Member
The following position is available at the HBI as soon as possible: Staff member (m/f/d) in science communication with coordinating tasks at the “Research Institute Social Cohesion Hamburg (RISC)”. We look forward to hearing from you.
AI-Generated Holocaust Distortions on Social Media Platforms
AI-generated images of the Holocaust that are entirely fictitious are becoming more prevalent on social media. A January 20, 2026, report by NDR in the Hamburg Journal shows why memorial sites view this development critically. Media researcher Jan-Hinrik Schmidt explains why the number of generative AI images is currently rising.
Federal Minister Bär visits Network for Digitalisation Research in Berlin
On January 14, 2026, Federal Minister Dorothee Bär met with scientists from the Network of Institutes for Digitalisation Research (NIfD) at the Weizenbaum Institute to discuss the social impact of digitalization. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz participated in the exchange on behalf of the HBI.