New book: “Resilience in the digital society” (in German)

ZeMKI member Dr. Leif Kramp publishes monograph (in German language) on digital media use in times of wars, crises and AI together with Dr. Stephan Weichert.

The use of digital media in everyday life is still increasing and is obviously contributing to greater polarization in our society. Users are also increasingly experiencing psychological stress. Counteracting these side effects is the intention of the authors Dr. Leif Kramp and Dr. Stephan Weichert. They show how the challenges of digital society can be met both individually and collectively in the face of perfidious manipulation, digital addiction potential and political discourse decay online.

The book sheds light on the profound side effects of increasing digital media use in everyday life, which seem to attack us psychologically. The authors make it clear that we need a new superpower: “digital resilience”. This ability protects our democracy from social division and psychological overload. They also call for more resilience in the digital world because they advocate constructive cooperation not only online: With their holistic approach, they contribute to the understanding of the widely discussed ‘digital society’. Their aim is to make people more robust in the digital age and at the same time to develop new skills that can help us get through crisis situations without damaging our democracy.

Co-author Kramp: “The great utopias of digital networking have not come true. Instead, more and more people are suffering from permanent accessibility and the omnipresent flow of digital content. Distraction, overload and ignorance are worrying consequences. If news about the world in turmoil is even actively avoided in order to preserve a little salvation, we are at a turning point that affects all levels of digital society: we need resilience strategies on how to live more confidently, more reflectively and ultimately less burdened with the Internet and how to counter the major threats posed by disinformation, opinion manipulation and social brutalization. This is the responsibility of politics and civil society in equal measure, but especially of journalism.”

The book is neither a ‘last hurrah’ to digitalization nor a media pamphlet. Rather, based on representative research, it spans an argumentative arc from the individual stress disorders in the population when dealing with digital media to the authentic consequences for our democratic cohesion. The practical solution scenarios are intended to invite readers to play a constructive role in strengthening social cohesion.

Leif Kramp / Stephan Weichert
Resilienz in der digitalen Gesellschaft.
Mediennutzung in Zeiten von Krisen, Kriegen und KI
2024, 198 S., Broschur, 142 x 213 mm, dt.
ISBN (Print) 978-3-86962-666-6
ISBN (PDF) 978-3-86962-665-9