The “Opinion Formation” research group investigates how people can form their own independent opinions and what is required to make this possible on the part of lawmakers, society, the media, and online platforms.
Public opinion does not emerge in a single place or through a single actor. It emerges from a complex interplay among citizens, the media, platforms, politics, academia, civil society, businesses, and, increasingly, automated systems.
All of these actors pursue different goals, operate under different conditions, and influence in various ways which issues gain visibility and how they are evaluated.
Digitalization, platformization, and the use of artificial intelligence are raising classic questions about the democratic public sphere anew.
- What is needed for people to form opinions freely and with full knowledge of the facts?
- How do platforms change the visibility of information?
- What are the consequences of disinformation, misinformation, and targeted manipulation?
- And what responsibilities do the media, platforms, the state, and society bear?
Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash
