28556
Seminar
Platformisation of the public sphere: economic and political effects
Matthias Künzler
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Hinweis für Studierende
Seminar schedule and notes, literature and presentation slides can be found on the e-learning platform “Blackboard”.
Kommentar
Digitalisation has led to the development of online platforms that allow the simultaneous provision of different services, such as the consumption of media content, the purchase of goods, the publication of user generated content (UGC) etc. A key feature of such platforms is that they bring together producers and consumers, creating digital markets.
This development has given rise to a large number of new services. At the same time, the operators of digital platforms accumulate a great deal of power by being able to determine what content is displayed to whom by algorithms and under what conditions products are sold. The problematic aspects of this development can be seen, for example, in the role of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, who are also trying to influence the public.
In the seminar we will therefore analyse the phenomenon of online platforms in a comprehensive way. Among other aspects, we will discuss the media-economic characteristics of these platforms, their possibilities to shape (digital) public spheres, but also attempts to regulate them by legal requirements (like the European Union’s “Digital Services Act”). A further question will be whether non-profit platforms such as Wikimedia can be a solution to overcome the negative consequences of the “digital capitalism” (Staab).
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14 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Wed, 2025-04-16 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-04-23 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-04-30 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-05-07 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-05-14 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-05-21 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-05-28 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-06-04 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-06-11 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-06-18 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-06-25 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-07-02 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-07-09 12:00 - 14:00
Wed, 2025-07-16 12:00 - 14:00