DataNord Sub-Project at ZeMKI: Interdisciplinary Research to Support Social Movements in Social Media

The realization of the project “We The (Social) Media: Social Media by and for Social Movements” has officially started on November 15th. It is being realized through intensive interdisciplinary collaboration with doctoral student Anna Ricarda Luther (ifib), Prof. Haunss (SOCIUM), Prof. Geise (ZeMKI), Prof. Heuer and Prof. Breiter (both ifib). The project is part of DataNord, which has received funding of 3.5 million euros from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The aim of our sub-project is to understand how social movements use social media and how it can be adapted to the needs of social movements using participatory software development. Social media are particularly popular with social movements because of their ability to reach, coordinate and mobilize large numbers of people quickly and easily. At the same time, social networks are used to spread misinformation and play a central role in polarization processes.

Our sub-project is therefore conducting intensive research into how members of social movements perceive the advantages and disadvantages of existing social networks. A particular focus is on identifying opportunities for improvement in order to optimally support social movements and provide the opportunity to access reliable information and communication channels. Based on these findings, it is planned to expand the functionalities of existing multimodal platforms. This could include, for example, better filter functions, the introduction of new interaction possibilities and more efficient presentations of data and information. Depending on the needs of the movement, the development of completely new platforms and apps is also possible. The effects of these adaptations or new applications on user behavior and the user experience will be scientifically investigated as part of the project.

The project is characterized by its interdisciplinary orientation. The project is a cooperation between communication and media science (represented by Prof. Geise), political science (represented by Prof. Haunss) and computer science (represented by Prof. Breiter, Prof. Heuer and Ms. Luther). In addition, the project is enriched by close cooperation with representatives of various social movements.

The partnership with DataNord, the interdisciplinary data competence center for the Bremen region, creates a central location for data science learning, research and networking. This location is open to researchers in the region, regardless of institutional or disciplinary boundaries.

In addition to the institutions ifib, SOCIUM and ZEMKI involved in the “We The (Social) Media” project, DataNord includes other renowned institutions such as the University of Bremen, the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence Bremen (DFKI), the Bremen University of Applied Sciences, the State and University Library, the BIBA – Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik GmbH as well as the NFDI consortia and infrastructure centers. This broad cooperation underlines the interdisciplinary nature of the project.

Further information on the project results will be available here in the future.