ZeMKI, Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research

The international anniversary conference of the ZeMKI in the 20th year of its existence examines the foundations of media and communication research: It is about exploring long-term trends resulting from today's media change and visions for the future.

On June 7, 2025, the radio report "molo - Lokaljournalismus in einer App" by WDR5 is published.

Check out a full lineup of presentations of ZeMKI researchers and explore where to find us and join the conversation.

On June 4, Niels Bibert successfully defended his dissertation at the KU Leuven entitled “An Odd Game? Understanding Esports Betting Access, Drivers and Consumption”.

The article published in 2024 entitled “Solving the crisis with ‘do-it-yourself heroes’? The media coverage on pioneer communities, Covid-19, and technological solutionism” in the journal ‘Communications’ is now also available in print.

From May 26 to 30, 2025, the third edition of the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP) organized by the Digital Constitutionalism Network took place in Salerno, Italy. Entitled “Digital Constitutionalism and Digital Sovereignty: Navigating Power and Rights in the Digital Age”, this international teaching program followed on successful BIP editions in Padua (2023) and at (…)

Three new recordings of the ComAI Lectures with Axel Bruns, Benedetta Brevini and Christian Greiffenhagen are now available in full length on the ZeMKI YouTube channel.

On Thursday, June 19, 2025, together with Radio Bremen/Bremen Zwei and the Bremer Presse-Club, we invite you to the ZeMKI Media Talks on the topic “Journalism on Social Media: Disappointment, fatigue or great opportunities?” at Club 27. Our guest is Hubertus Koch, journalist, filmmaker and author, known for various documentaries and winner of the German (…)

ZeMKI member Dr. Stephanie Seul will give a presentation at the conference “Forgotten journalists: Lived experiences and professional identities in the past” in Ghent, Belgium on June 6, 2025.

In an article published by MDR on May 29, 2025, the local news app molo is presented as an alternative to large platforms such as Facebook and TikTok.

On May 28, 2025, ZeMKI member Dr. Dom Ford will give a talk titled “Player Democracy in Old School RuneScape” at the Nordic DiGRA Conference 2025.

On May 22, 2025, the local news app “molo” will be presented at the 69th Conference for Urban Press Relations and Communication in Rostock.

An interview with ZeMKI member Dr. Philip Sinner served as the basis for the report “Sport für junge Zielgruppen” in the program “WDR 5 Töne, Texte, Bilder”.

Kerstin Radde-Antweiler and Amrei Sander presented their final findings at the conference for the funding line “Recovery, Renewal, and Resilience in a Post-Pandemic World.”

The research focus “Digital Gaming” is collecting abstracts for our special issue on “Beyond Play” until May 31!

ZeMKI members Andrea Grahl and Alex Krause will be holding a workshop on “molo – eine Plattform als neues soziales Medium für Stadt und Region” at re:publica 2025 on May 26 at 3 pm.

ZeMKI member Prof. Christian Katzenbach will give a lecture on “Responsibility and irresponsibility of digital platforms” on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at “Wissen um 11”, the science matinee at the Haus der Wissenschaften.

On June 3 and 4, leading international scholars will discuss key issues of technology and power at the conference “From Platform Governance to Generative AI” in Bremen. The final program is now released.

On May 14, 2025, ZeMKI member Prof. Dr. Christian Schwarzenegger gave a guest lecture at the University of Jena.

On May 20, 2025, ZeMKI member Sandra Kero will give the lecture “Die Rechte und die Frau: zwischen Obsession und (synthetischer) Imagination” as part of the lecture series “Rechtsextremismus, Medien und Geschlecht”.

ZeMKI members Prof. Dr. Stephanie Geise and Prof. Dr. Christian Schwarzenegger each contribute to the debate on AI-generated images and synthetic imagery in the current issue of DGPuK's Aviso, curated by Prof. Katharina Lobinger (Lugano).

On Monday, June 30, 2025, the ComAI Lecture on “AI within Public Online Discourse” with Dr. Dennis Frieß from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf will take place at the Bremen Press Club.

On April 9, 2025, an interview with ZeMKI member Prof. Dr. Christian Schwarzenegger was published in the Weser Kurier on the occasion of his appointment to the University of Bremen.

Radde-Antweiler's contribution uses the example of mediatized self-crucifixions in the Philippines to show the added value of looking at religious phenomena through and with mediatization approaches.