The digitalization of society has many facets: It includes the transformation of the world of work, new forms of learning, the transformation of public space through digital media and platforms, changes in how democracies work, and challenges for the legal system. In light of these developments, which often imply profound social transformations, the WJDS intends…

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The transformation of democracy through digital public spheres is the topic of a virtual conference on June 17 and 18, 2021. The “Weizenbaum Conference” is being organized by the research area “Democracy – Participation – Public Sphere” of the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society and Freie Universität Berlin under the direction of Professors Barbara Pfetsch, Jeanette Hofmann and Professor Martin Emmer of the Institute of Journalism and Communication Studies. Under the title “Democracy in Flux – Order, Dynamics and Voices in Digital Public Spheres,” speakers from several countries will discuss digital technologies and their effects on democratic orders, political actors, and social practices on virtual panels. Interested parties can follow the presentations and discussions via livestream. Registration is required and participation is free of charge.

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How did students experience the digital university semester in summer 2020? Gergana Vladova and Norbert Gronau from the Weizenbaum Institute, together with associated researchers André Ullrich and Benedict Bender (both from the University of Potsdam), investigated students’ experiences with technology-mediated learning. To this end, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study at four German universities in the summer semester of 2020. The results show that the acceptance of technology-mediated learning depends on the disciplines and declined over the course of the semester.

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