Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink

After retiring on 1 October 2021, Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink will continue to be associated with the Leibniz Institute for Media Research │ Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI) as an associated researcher.

Since the HBI became a member of the Leibniz Association in 2019, Uwe Hasebrink has represented the institute as Scientific Director on the Executive Board. He had previously been a member of the Hans-Bredow-Institut’s Board of Directors since 1998.

After studying psychology and German philology in Hamburg, Uwe Hasebrink initially worked for three years as a research assistant at the Institute for Social Psychology at Universität Hamburg. He has worked at the HBI since 1986, initially as a scientific consultant, and from 1988 as executive manager. In 1998 he was elected to the Institute’s Board of Directors. In 1999, he held a professorship for communication science at the College of Music and Theatre in Hanover. In spring 2001, he was jointly appointed to a professorship for “Empirical Communication Studies” by the Universität Hamburg and the Hans-Bredow-Institut.

Memberships

From 2009, he was a member of the board of directors of the Research Center for Media and Communication (RCMC), with which university and non-university media and communication research in Hamburg was bundled. At the same time, he was a member of the spokesperson team of the Graduate School Media and Communication (GMaC), which was funded from 2009 to 2012 as part of the Hamburg Excellence Initiative. From 1998 to 2003, he was also spokesperson for the Media Reception and Effects research section of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), co-editor of the publication series “Reception Research” from 2003 to 2007, a member of the Management Committee of the International Radio Research Network (IREN) from 2004 to 2006 and a member of the Management Committee of the COST Action “Transforming Audiences – Transforming Societies” from 2010 to 2014. From 2004 to 2012, he was a member of the Executive Board of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) and its predecessor organization ECCR.

He has been on the International Board of the “Journal of Children and Media” since 2009 and a member of the International Advisory Board of the journals “Studies in Communication | Media” and “Communication Management Quarterly” since 2011.

Main Research Areas

His research focuses on the areas of media use and media content as well as media policy. In recent years, these have mainly been individual usage patterns and media repertoires, convergence of media from the user’s perspective, the consequences of online media for traditional media, media use by children and young people, youth media protection, forms of audience participation and safeguarding user interests vis-à-vis the media, as well as European media and European audiences.

Last update: 01.07.2024

Works by Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink

eine Frau hinter einem Tisch mit ablehnender Haltung gegenüber Zeitungen auf dem Tisch.
Projekt New Project!

News Avoidance Strategies and Their Implications for Public Engagement

What impact does news avoidance have on membership in different publics and political participation? To what extent do these dynamics contribute to the fragmentation of publics? This study examines how various news avoidance practices affect individuals’ connection to the public sphere.

Projekt BMFTR Project

Podcasts: Key Players, Content, and Misinformation

As audio media, such as podcasts, become more important, the risks of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news increase. The collaborative project “Systematic Observation of New Audio Risks” (SONAR) examines the content structure of online audio media and develops methods for identifying relevant narratives and manipulation strategies.

Publikation Open Access Publication

Determinants of Verification Behavior in Generative Search

Generative AI is being increasingly integrated into search engines, but it has been criticized for producing content that sounds plausible yet is sometimes inaccurate. Little is currently known about the factors that prompt users to verify these responses. The study by Eva-Luise Knor, Michael V. Reiss, Judith Möller, and Lisa Merten addresses this knowledge gap.

Publikation Recently Published

Platforms, Online Surveillance, and the European Union: The Digital Services Act (DSA)

In their open-access article, Prof. Dr. Judith Möller, Ronan Ó Fathaigh, Bengi Zeybek, and Rocco Bellanova explore how the DSA facilitates public and private surveillance practices regarding content disseminated on online platforms.

Cover of issue 2/2026 M&K
Publikation Open Access Publication

M&K 2/2026 Has Been Published

The February 2026 issue of M&K features articles that explore the understanding of roles and the transformative potential of peripheral actors in the DACH region. Other articles examine developments in sports coverage in German daily newspapers from 2011 to 2021 and the usage patterns of ChatGPT, as well as anthropomorphic role attributions. You can download all of these articles free of charge.

Front Page of the Working Paper
Publikation Working Paper Available for Download

Babies and Toddlers in Family Influencing

In what ways and how often are babies and young children (ages 0–5) depicted on commercially oriented German-language social media profiles on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube? Stephan Dreyer, Claudia Lampert, Kira Thiel, and others analyze this question using qualitative and quantitative methods. They also critically discuss the findings in light of the applicable legal framework and media ethics considerations.

Publikation Open Access Publication

Assessing Age Assurance Technologies: Effectiveness, Side-Effects, and Acceptance

In the article “Assessing Age Assurance Technologies: Effectiveness, Side-Effects, and Acceptance,” Dr. Wouter Lueks, Dr. Stephan Dreyer, Prof. Dr. Hannes Federrath, and Prof. Dr. Judith Simon analyze existing age verification methods.

Publikation Review of a Dissertation

Government Public Relations in New Media

For years, the democratic legitimacy of government public relations has been a topic of discussion in academic literature and constitutional jurisprudence. Tobias Mast reviews a recently published dissertation on the subject, exploring the untapped potential of interdisciplinary legal scholarship in relation to commonly accepted empirical assumptions.

Publikation Article for Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Platform Badges for Civic Communication

Digital platforms have become central infrastructures for political communication and social negotiation processes. In his article, Jan Rau examines platform badges, which are tools that platforms use to fulfill their obligation to mitigate risk by creating positive incentives for users to adhere to certain communicative norms.

Cover des Arbeitspapiers
Publikation Working Paper for Download

Responsibility in the Platform Quadrangle

This working paper by Tobias Mast comments on the European Court of Justice's recent Russmedia ruling and sets out the premises for a relationship between EU legal acts in the digital single market that respects fundamental rights.

ein Kabel führt in ein Smartphone
Projekt Project with Helmut Schmidt University

Data Collection and Analysis on TikTok and YouTube

In order to develop the best practices for collecting and analyzing data on short video platforms, Gregor Wiedemann's Media Research Methods Lab at the HBI is participating in a Helmut Schmidt University project examining the German Armed Forces' representation on TikTok and YouTube.

Eine Fernbedienung zeigt auf einen Bildschirm mit unscharfen bunten Bildern
Projekt International Cooperation Project

Euromedia Ownership Monitor

The Euromedia Ownership Monitor provides policymakers and the general public with in-depth insights into the extent of media ownership transparency in the EU. It was updated in 2025.

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