Research Unit Media and Public Spheres

Welcome to the Media and Public Spheres Division

The team at the Media and Public Spheres division investigates the emergence, dissemination, and impact of far-right extremist, right-wing populist, and anti-democratic communication and mobilization in digital public spheres.

Our research focuses on media infrastructures, platform functionalities, and strategies of mobilization, including disinformation, coordinated campaigns, and transnational networks. We employ internationally comparative designs, consider political and media opportunity structures, and integrate multi-method and interdisciplinary perspectives. A key emphasis is the application and development of computational social science methods for data collection and analysis.

For more details on our research projects, which explore media infrastructures, mobilization strategies, and discourse dynamics, please visit our research website.

The Media and Public Spheres division also coordinates the thematic cluster “Far-right extremist discourse, media and strategies in public spheres”. Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Team

Research

Safeguarding the digital public sphere – protection of or protection from alternative and radical voices?

27.01.2026: Prof. Dr. Annett Heft.

Prof. Dr. Annett Heft will speak in Copenhagen at the symposium “Safeguarding the digital public sphere – protection of or protection from alternative and radical voices?” on the question of the extent to which public, democratic debates need a protective shield against radical voices.