My research activities center aroung three areas:
- Regulation of privacy in digital (mobile) media
Digital and mobile media in particular allow for collecting and processing of large number of personal information and use-related data and thus challenge the protection of privacy for individuals as well as society as a whole. Together with colleagues we examined the importance of privacy in the selection of smartphone apps. With regard to the regulation of privacy, we further interrogated in how far instruments of soft paternalism (nudging) represent an eligible regulation tool to raise media users’ awareness with respect to private data protection. In addition, I am interested in examining concepts of privacy from a comparative perspective such as analyzing German and US media users’ perception of private information, risks during mobile media use and regulatory preferences in information privacy.
- Media services and media organizations as media policy actors
In light of technological, social and economic transformation processes in media markets, I investigate how media organizations deal with these challenges. In a joint research project with colleagues at FU Berlin, we examine the consequences of structural changes and press policy measures on both structural as well as editorial diversity in regional newspaper markets (http://www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/kommwiss/arbeitstellen/kommunikationspolitik/forschung/DACH/index.html). Further, I am interested in analyzing how media organizations pursue their (strategic) interests by exerting both indirect (e.g. via editorial coverage) and direct (political lobbying) influence at a national and transnational (EU) level.
- Moral orientations and (digital) media
As a member of the DFG-funded Young Scholar Network ("Media Use and Well-Being"), we conducted a joint research project on investigating the use of (digital) media in and for moral regulation processes (moral management). In addition, I am interested in examining in how far today’s societal discourses refer to moral argumentations.