News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
What Children and Young People Expect from the Digital World
The report on child and youth participation for the expert commission “Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World” shows that children and young people do not want less digitalization, but rather a better and safer digital world. Claudia Lampert’s expertise has been incorporated into the work of the interdisciplinary commission. The report will be presented to Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien on September 11. The event will be livestreamed.
Visitors from Brisbane!
Last week, eleven researchers from Australia and Germany worked intensively together at the HBI on the “Mapping Polarization in News Media Content” project, which compares climate reporting in both countries. Among other things, they conducted further analyses and prepared conference papers and publications.
Should Smart Glasses Be Banned?
Smart glasses, which are data glasses equipped with a camera, AI, and an internet connection, raise new questions about the protection of personal rights. However, according to Matthias Kettemann, new bans are not necessarily needed. Rather, existing laws must be enforced more consistently. He explaines this on the ZDF heute program.
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in the SETA Research Project and Assistance in Program Area 1
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher (m/f/d) in the research project "Safeguarding Epistemic Trust in Adolescents," who will also work on tasks in Program Area 1 from November 1, 2026. It is a full-time position (suitable for part-time, at least 75%), with a fixed term through December 31, 2029; payment group is TV-L E13.
Stricter EU Rules for ChatGPT
The European Commission has classified ChatGPT as a very large online search engine under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Tobias Mast considers this classification reasonable. In his statement for the Science Media Center, he points out that the consequences depend on how the DSA’s requirements, which were originally developed for different types of services, are applied to AI chatbots.
Artificial Intelligence Everywhere Now?
On the Deutschlandfunk podcast, which translates to "After the Editorial Deadline," Svea Eckert discusses why artificial intelligence is suddenly a hot topic everywhere and the logic behind the media coverage.
Record Fine and New Social Media Guidelines for Meta
After 29 U.S. states filed a lawsuit against the media conglomerate Meta, the Science Media Center asked Matthias C. Kettemann to evaluate whether the changes made by the platforms are sufficient to ensure they are no longer harmful. Kettemann was also asked to discuss potential difficulties with age verification and the implications of this lawsuit for future legal actions.
Student Assistant / Research Assistant in the Field of Social Science / Communication Studies
We are looking for a student/research assistant (m/f/d) to start on November 1 in the field of social sciences/communication studies, specifically digital health communication. The research group "Health Communication" focuses on changes in health-related communication processes in the context of digital transformation.
Research on the Impact of Disinformation on Democratic Participation Among Young People
Hamburg, 27 August 2026. How do digital media influence young people’s trust in information and their democratic participation? This is the focus of the DFG-funded research project “SETA – Safeguarding Epistemic Trust in Adolescents: Conceptual Approaches and Policy Options.” The project is part of the DFG Priority Programme "Rethinking Disinformation (Re:Dis)."
Event dates
11th European Communication Conference
11. September 2026The 11th European Communication Research Association (ECREA) conference is taking place this year in Brno, Czech Republic, under the title “Shifting Grounds: Paths, Connections, and Futures.” The HBI will be represented by several contributions.
AI and Polarization in Digital Public Spheres
12. September 2026At the Museum Day event "All Fake?!," Jan Rau will speak about the impact of artificial intelligence on social polarization and digital debates.
Anti-Semitism in German Social Media following the October 7 Attacks
16. September 2026At this year's KONVENS conference, Dr. Gregor Wiedemann and Daniel Wehrend will present their peer-reviewed paper, "The Surge of Anti-Semitism in German Social Media Following the October 7 Attacks."
Digitalisation Research Seminar 2026
21. September 2026This year's Digitalisation Research Seminar on 21-22 September in Berlin is dedicated to “Balancing Digital Safety between Risks, Rights, and Regulation”. The HBI, WI, BI and CAIS are organizing the event.
HBI Presentations at the DGPuK Methods Conference
30. September 2026HBI researchers are presenting their latest work on computer-assisted methods in communication and media research at the annual conference of the DGPuK Methods Division.
43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association
1. October 2026At the 43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association (GSA), Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen, Antonia Eichenauer, and Jonah Wermter will present two papers on the topic of communicative AI in journalism.
Press Freedom Under Pressure
13. October 2026What is putting pressure on press freedom? Journalists and researchers are discussing the conditions for independent journalism as part of Hamburg’s Press Freedom Week.
Journalism Under Duress from the Right
15. October 2026As populism rises, journalists are increasingly coming under fire from right-wing figures. How can one conduct research in right-wing circles? How can right-wing networks be uncovered? What do attacks on press freedom mean for journalism? Researchers from the HBI will discuss these issues with media professionals.