The DigiMeet 2025 digitisation research and network meeting will take place online in November this year. It will focus on the topic of “Platform Governance & Power”. Doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers are invited to present their work. The submission deadline is 31 July 2025.
This interdisciplinary event aims to provide a forum for young researchers focusing on digitalization. DigiMeet offers opportunities for networking, presenting findings, exchanging ideas, and gathering inspiration for new and, ideally, collaborative research projects.
Further Information
The meeting will start with a morning keynote by Dr. Tobias Mast. Afterwards, participants will present their research in one of the four sessions, which will be set up according to the submitted topics. Each session will be chaired by an expert from the convening institutions. After a short introduction by the chair, contributors may present their research plans or findings in a lightning talk (10-15 minutes) followed by a quick q&a (5-10 minutes). Each session will be concluded by a joint discussion. DigiMeet closes with a group debate on our visions and thoughts about the ideal platform of the future.
Track 1: Platform Regulation and Community Building
Morning Session: Regulatory Frameworks (Chair: Prof. Dr. Matthias Kettemann, HBI)
This session will delve into the regulatory frameworks that seek to balance democratic values with the necessity of control in the digital space. We will examine how European regulations, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), aspire to uphold democratic principles while also addressing the challenges posed by misinformation, privacy and monopolistic behaviours of tech giants. The discussion will highlight the tensions between accountability and freedom, as well as the implications for citizens’ rights in a digital age.
Afternoon Session: Networks and Discourses (Chair: Prof. Dr. Andreas Jungherr, Uni Bamberg)
Social media platforms transform how people connect and engage in public discourse, offering empowerment and collective action while also spreading misinformation. They enable communities to form around shared interests, fostering activism and social change. However, engagement-driven algorithms amplify sensationalist content, reinforcing biases and deepening divides. Tackling these challenges demands both platform accountability and user awareness.
Track 2: Platforms as Shapers and Instruments of Governance
Morning Session: Opportunities and Challenges of AI (Chair: Prof. Dr. Tim Majchrzak, CAIS)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in shaping platform governance. This session will investigate how AI technologies are utilised for content moderation, user engagement and decision-making processes within platforms. We will discuss the ethical implications of AI deployment, including transparency, accountability and bias. Moreover, the session will consider how AI can be harnessed to enhance governance mechanisms while ensuring that democratic values are upheld in an increasingly automated environment.
Afternoon Session: Platforms as Governance Facilitators (Chair: Dr. Annett Schulze, WI)
Platforms have emerged not only as commercial entities and social networks but also as vital instruments for governance, for example in crisis management contexts. This segment will focus on how platforms can facilitate communication, mobilisation, and resource allocation during crises such as pandemics, natural disasters or social unrest. We will analyse case studies that illustrate the dual role of platforms as shapers of public discourse and as tools for (governmental) action, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that arise from this duality.
