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Publications (270)
Our everyday life has become highly digitized, and all our online actions leave digital data traces that are automatically collected, aggregated, and analyzed. Emerging research shows that this dataveillance can lead to chilling effects on mundane and legitimate information and communication behaviors. However, the extent to which a sense of datave...
Algorithmic selection is omnipresent in various domains of our online everyday lives: it ranks our search results, curates our social media news feeds, or recommends videos to watch and music to listen to. This widespread application of algorithmic selection on the internet can be associated with risks like feeling surveilled (S), feeling exposed t...
A co-evolutionary theoretical framework offers new concepts and methods for communication governance researchers. These concepts and methods are particularly well suited to study problems with strong interdependencies between actors. Such problems often develop in a dynamic, open-ended way and are associated with high levels of uncertainty. Many im...
The starting point of this contribution is a brief characterization and classification of institutional theories. In addition, characteristics of the object of study of this handbook – the convergent communications sector – are highlighted, from which specific challenges and requirements arise regarding the applicability of individual institutional...
How can the ubiquitous digitalization in the early twenty-first century be grasped and characterized? A media-change perspective that focuses on innovation-driven, complex co-evolutionary processes distinguishes two phases of digitalization and points to the following characteristics of its second phase: digitalization is an intertwined bundle of s...
How can the ubiquitous digitalization in the early twenty-first century be grasped and characterized? A media-change perspective that focuses on innovation-driven, complex co-evolutionary processes distinguishes two phases of digitalization and points to the following characteristics of its second phase: digitalization is an intertwined bundle of s...
People's sense of being subject to digital dataveillance can cause them to restrict their digital communication behavior. Such a chilling effect is essentially a form of self-censorship in everyday digital media use with the attendant risks of undermining individual autonomy and well-being. This article combines the existing theoretical and limited...
Self-tracking with wearable devices and mobile applications is a popular practice that relies on automated data collection and algorithm-driven analytics. Initially designed as a tool for personal use, a variety of public and corporate actors such as commercial organizations and insurance companies now make use of self-tracking data. Associated soc...
Das World Internet Project (WIP) ist ein internationales, kollaboratives Wissenschaftsprojekt, das seit 1999 die Verbreitung und Nutzung des Internet im internationalen Vergleich erfasst. Die Schweiz hat 2021 mit dem World Internet Project – Switzerland (WIP-CH) zum sechsten Mal eine repräsentative WIP-Befragung durchgeführt und die Schweizer Bevöl...
Internet diffusion has prompted research into differences in internet access, use and consequences. Exploiting the full potential of the ongoing digital transformation in all spheres of life-a proclaimed goal of governments and international organizations-requires ensuring equal opportunities and supporting disadvantaged individuals in their intern...
In today’s digitized society, internet users increasingly rely on online services that apply algorithmic selection, like for instance Google Search or the Facebook News Feed. The algorithms that are implemented in these services automatically select information sets and assign relevance to them. This entails societal risks such as privacy breaches,...
The rapidly growing academic and public attention to algorithmic-selection applications such as search engines and social media is indicative of their alleged great social relevance and impact on daily life in digital societies. To substantiate these claims, this paper investigates the hitherto little explored subjective relevance that Internet use...
How can the ubiquitous digitalization in the early 21st century be grasped and characterized? A media-change perspective that focuses on innovation-driven, complex co-evolutionary processes points to the following characteristics: digitalization is an intertwined co-evolutionary bundle of socio-technological transformation processes that reveals it...
Testing communication theories requires a valid empirical basis, yet especially for usage time measures, retrospective self-reports have shown to be biased. This study draws on a unique data set of 923 Swiss internet users who had their internet use tracked for at least 30 days on mobile and desktop devices and took part in a survey covering intern...
Algorithmen und Künstliche Intelligenz – Populismus, Fake News und Lügenpresse – Transparenz scheint angesichts dieser Entwicklungen das Gebot der Stunde bzw. die Standardantwort auf brennende (medien-)politische Problemstellungen zu sein. Dieser Beitrag skizziert die medienpolitischen Herausforderungen von Transparenzstrategien aus kommunikationsw...
Wie ist die im frühen 21. Jahrhundert allgegenwärtige Digitalisierung zu fassen und zu charakterisieren? Eine Medienwandel-Perspektive mit Fokus auf innovationsgetriebene, ko-evolutionäre Prozesse unter den Bedingungen von Komplexität verweist auf folgende Merkmale: Digitalisierung ist ein ko-evolutionär verflochtenes Bündel an soziotechnischen Tra...
How can the ubiquitous digitalization in the early 21st century be grasped and characterized? A media-change perspective that focuses on innovation-driven, complex co-evolutionary processes points to the following characteristics: digitalization is an intertwined co-evolutionary bundle of socio-technological transformation processes that reveals it...
The discussion about media literacy today goes far beyond the traditional understanding of media competence. At the same time, very different meanings are attributed to the term. This book brings together 14 contributions on different dimensions of media literacy: in addition to definitions of terms, it addresses media and information literacy in d...
The fast-growing academic and public attention to algorithmic-selection applications such as search engines and social media is indicative of their alleged great social relevance and impact on daily life in digital societies. To substantiate these claims, this paper investigates the hitherto little explored subjective relevance that Internet users...
Switzerland is one of the countries with the highest internet penetration rates worldwide. Nevertheless, 600,000 people or 8% of the population remain offline. Being digitally excluded is problematic as internet use yields many advantages in everyday life. Obtaining real-time traffic information, applying for jobs, buying things or being an informe...
Internet-based services that build on automated algorithmic selection processes, for example search engines, computational advertising, and recommender systems, are booming and platform companies that provide such services are among the most valuable corporations worldwide. Algorithms on and beyond the Internet are increasingly influencing, aidi...
This report summarizes results from our representative Internet survey in 2019 and highlights major developments and trends of the past decade, based on data from our long-term biannual studies since 2011. The World Internet Project (WIP) is an international, collaborative science project which has been recording the dissemination and use of the In...
Den Ausgangspunkt dieses Beitrags bilden eine Kurzcharakterisierung und Einordnung institutionalistischer Theorieansätze. Zudem werden Charakteristika des Untersuchungsgegenstandes dieses Handbuchs – des konvergenten Kommunikationssektors – hervorgehoben, aus denen sich spezifische Herausforderungen und Anforderungen für anzuwendende Analyseansätze...
Im Vergleich zu traditionellen Massenmedien eröffnet die mediale Vielzweckinfrastruktur Internet eine weitaus grössere Palette an Anwendungsmöglichkeiten. Das Internet bietet eine Fülle an audiovisuellen Informations- und Unterhaltungsangeboten. Die Analyse der Nutzerkreise für das Jahr 2019 im Rahmen des World Internet Project-Switzerland zeigt, d...
Das World Internet Project (WIP) ist ein internationales, kollaboratives Wissenschaftsprojekt, das seit 1999 die Verbreitung und Nutzung des Internet im internationalen Vergleich erfasst. Die Schweiz hat 2019 mit dem World Internet Project – Switzerland (WIP-CH) zum fünften Mal eine repräsentative WIP-Befragung durchgeführt und die Schweizer Bevölk...
Das World Internet Project (WIP) ist ein internationales, kollaboratives Wissenschaftsprojekt, das seit 1999 die Verbreitung und Nutzung des Internet im internationalen Vergleich erfasst. Die Schweiz hat 2019 mit dem World Internet Project – Switzerland (WIP-CH) zum fünften Mal eine repräsentative WIP-Befragung durchgeführt und die Schweizer Bevölk...
Das World Internet Project (WIP) ist ein internationales, kollaboratives Wissenschaftsprojekt, das seit 1999 die Verbreitung und Nutzung des Internet im internationalen Vergleich erfasst. Die Schweiz hat 2019 mit dem World Internet Project – Switzerland (WIP-CH) zum fünften Mal eine repräsentative WIP-Befragung durchgeführt und die Schweizer Bevölk...
Das World Internet Project (WIP) ist ein internationales, kollaboratives Wissenschaftsprojekt, das seit 1999 die Verbreitung und Nutzung des Internet im internationalen Vergleich erfasst. Die Schweiz hat 2019 mit dem World Internet Project – Switzerland (WIP-CH) zum fünften Mal eine repräsentative WIP-Befragung durchgeführt und die Schweizer Bevölk...
In modern everyday life, individuals experience an abundance of digital information and communication options, and pressure to use them effectively and constantly. While there are many benefits attainable through the use of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs), digital overuse needs to be explored as it may impair individual we...
The modes and intensity of market interventions are central topics in research and in policy debates on regulation and governance worldwide. Lately, initiatives on good governance, better regulation and evidence-based policy-making have given rise to major questions about the choice between available governance mechanisms. Research and policy typic...
Algorithmic governance affects individuals' reality construction and consequently social order in societies. Vague concepts of algorithmic governance and the lack of comprehensive empirical insights into this kind of institutional steering by software from a user perspective may, however, lead to unrealistic risk assessments and premature policy co...
This paper makes an empirical contribution to the debate on digital democratization. It surveys online political participation and examines people’s perception of the impact of the Internet on democratic quality. First, a representative national survey of Switzerland indicates that people are partly politically engaged online, but the majority are...
Digital inequalities have real consequences for individuals' everyday lives-this basic assumption drives digital inequality research. Recent efforts have focused on tangible benefits of online engagement, yet subjective quality of life measures also matter as Internet outcomes. This article contributes to closing this gap. First, it theoretically i...
Unterwegs E-Mails beantworten, sich politisch via Internet informieren und online einkaufen ist für Schweizerinnen und Schweizer längst Teil des Alltags geworden. Neben diesen Vorteilen stellen sich mit der gesellschaftlichen Verbreitung des Internet aber auch neue Herausforderungen, wie das Bewältigen der wachsenden Informationsflut, die Wahrung d...
Algorithmen im Internet prägen zunehmend unseren Alltag und unsere Wahrnehmung der Welt. Sie wählen Informationen aus, weisen ihnen Relevanz zu und helfen, die Informationsflut im Internet zu bewältigen. Gleichzeitig wird die Verbreitung von algorithmischer Selektion von Risiken und regulatorischen Herausforderungen begleitet. Der Beitrag beleuchte...
Confronted with new technological options, changing usage patterns and rising criticism, public service broadcasters (PSBs) are paying fresh attention to the public as a target for accountability. This article first investigates how PSBs are repositioning themselves through increased responsiveness to and collaboration with the public and assesses...
Den Ausgangspunkt dieses Beitrags bilden eine Kurzcharakterisierung und Einordnung institutionalistischer Theorieansätze. Zudem werden Charakteristika des Untersuchungsgegenstandes dieses Handbuchs – des konvergenten Kommunikationssektors – hervorgehoben, aus denen sich spezifische Herausforderungen und Anforderungen für anzuwendende Analyseansätze...
This article explains Internet users’ self-help activities in protecting their privacy online using structural equation modeling. Based on a representative survey of Swiss Internet users, it reveals past experiences with privacy breaches as a strong predictor of current protective behavior. Further, in line with the ‘privacy paradox’ argument, cari...
Based on representative surveys on Internet use, this article advances comparative research on the second-level digital divide by modeling Internet usage disparities for five countries with narrowing access gaps. Four core Internet usage types are constructed and predicted by sociodemographic variables in a structural model. Overall, the findings c...
This article explains Internet users’ self-help activities in protecting their privacy online using structural equation modeling. Based on a representative survey of Swiss Internet users, it reveals past experiences with privacy breaches as a strong predictor of current protective behavior. Further, in line with the ‘privacy paradox’ argument, cari...
Den Ausgangspunkt dieses Beitrags bilden eine Kurzcharakterisierung und Einordnung institutionalistischer Theorieansätze. Zudem werden Charakteristika des Untersuchungsgegenstandes dieses Handbuchs – des konvergenten Kommunikationssektors – hervorgehoben, aus denen sich spezifische Herausforderungen und Anforderungen für anzuwendende Analyseansätze...
This paper explores the governance by algorithms in information societies. Theoretically, it builds on (co-)evolutionary innovation studies in order to adequately grasp the interplay of technological and societal change, and combines these with institutional approaches to incorporate governance by technology or rather software as institutions. Meth...
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of governance choice in the area of algorithmic selection. Algorithms on the Internet shape our daily lives and realities. They select information, automatically assign relevance to them and keep people from drowning in an information flood. The benefits of algorithms ar...