News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
Tobias Mast Re-elected as Member of the Advisory Board
Tobias Mast has once again been elected by the German Bundestag to the advisory board of the Coordination Office for Digital Services (Digital Services Coordinators (DSC)) at the Federal Network Agency. He will advise the regulatory authority on issues relating to the application and enforcement of the Digital Services Act as a representative of academia.
Do We Still Need Public Broadcasting?
Jan-Hinrik Schmidt is a guest on the science podcast ‘Tonspur Wissen’ by Rheinische Post and Leibniz Association, where he talks with host Ursula Weidenfeld about the findings of the recently published cohesion study by ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio.
Challenges Faced by Public Service Broadcasting
ARD is celebrating its 75th anniversary and looking back on the past and ahead to the future in the program "DAS! Rote Sofa" with ARD Chairman and hr Director Florian Hager. In a film clip, media historian Dr Hans-Ulrich Wagner illustrates the challenges that have shaped public broadcasting, and continue to do so today.
Dialogue Formats in Public Service Media
What contribution can public service media make in the digital age as a platform for social dialogue? This future workshop will use scientific methods to develop scenarios and strategies for sustainable dialogue formats in digitalised societies.
Congratulations, Azade Kakavand!
We are delighted for Azade Kakavand! On September 19, she successfully defended her dissertation, "Technology Affordances, Social Media Platforms, and the Networked Far Right," at the University of Vienna. Prof. Dr. Annie Waldherr and Prof. Dr. Nicola Righetti supervised the dissertation. Dr. Eva Mayerhöffer and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Quandt served as the examiners.
Social Media: Harmful Enough to Require a Minimum Age?
Stephan Dreyer was a guest on the ARD podcast Die Justizreporter*innen, where he discussed social media bans for children and young people with reporters Egzona Hyseni and Philip Raillon. He warns against disproportionate interventions and emphasizes the ambivalent role of parents and the danger of negative side effects.
Social Cohesion and the Role of Public Service Media
ARD, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio—with scientific advice from Jan-Hinrik Schmidt—conducted a study to examine how the population perceives social cohesion and what role public broadcasters play in this. One finding was that more than half of respondents see them as making an important contribution to cohesion.
Claudia Lampert Appointed to Expert Commission
Dr. Claudia Lampert will be part of the expert commission appointed by the German federal government to examine the steps necessary for effective protection of children and young people in the media.
Glossary Entry on “Social Bots”
Dr. Gregor Wiedemann wrote a glossary entry on “social bots” for Diskursmonitor, a collaborative online platform that aims to educate and document strategic communication. This topic is marked by major controversy in academia, some of which has played out in public.
Event dates
Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers
18. October 2025The 26th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR 2025) will take place this year in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once again, several HBI researchers will be there to present their research. All presentations will be in English.
Metaphor Analysis of the Meta-Journalistic Discourse on AI
23. October 2025Antonia Eichenauer will give a presentation entitled "It Could Be Different: Metaphor Analysis of Metajournalistic Discourse about AI” at the anniversary conference of the Center for Media, Communication, and Information Research (ZeMKI), “20 Years into the Future: What Is Our Vision of Media, Data, and Society?"
What Responsibility Do Platforms Bear for Young People’s Body Image?
27. October 2025Dr. Stephan Dreyer will give a presentation on “What Responsibility Do Platforms Bear for Young People’s Body Image?” at the 8th Media Competence Network Conference in Saxony-Anhalt.
Why AI Systems Come at an Environmental Price
29. October 2025In the “Digital Salon” event series organized by the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the topic of discussion starting at 7 p.m. will be the ecological cost of AI systems, under the title “Watt for a Prompt.” Katharina Mosene will moderate the event.
How Does Social Media Affect Voting Decisions?
6. November 2025Prof. Dr. Judith Möller will open the 2025 fall conference of the German Association for Political Education (DVPB) with a presentation on the topic: “(How) Does Social Media Affect Voting Decisions and Political Systems of Government?”
Digitalisation Research and Network Meeting 2025
6. November 2025The DigiMeet 2025 digitisation research and network meeting takes place online this year. It focuses on the topic of “Platform Governance & Power”. The interdisciplinary event aims to provide a forum for young researchers focusing on digitalization.
#LeibnizMediaLunchTalk
Fighting the Fortress with Arrows.
Civil Enforceability of Due Diligence Obligations for Large Online Services
11. November 2025
We welcome Dr. Katharina Wunner from the University of Bayreuth to this Leibniz Media Lunch Talk. She will speak about the civil enforceability of due diligence obligations for very large online services under Article 54 of the Digital Services Act (DSA).