Transformative Communication

@hendrikmeyer.bsky.social @mikefarjam.bsky.social @louprsl.bsky.social @laiacastro.bsky.social @anamariads.bsky.social @ThomasSchnedler @Choni Flöther @MichaelBrüggemann @JustinSchröder @AgnieszkaStępińska

Kicked off our #Fuel2Fire 🔥 project in Hamburg!

In this cross-country collaboration, we're studying polarization across Europe — from meta discourse to polarizing topics & practices — with partners from Spain, Sweden, Poland & @netzwerkrecherche.org.

#Polarization #Journalism

Every week we will present one of the ongoing projects in more detail here, so stay tuned!

And check out our website: transformativecommunication.net/en/

#polarization #digitalmedia #journalism #democracy

💡What narratives drive polarization in debates?

💡How can human and AI moderation contribute to depolarizing debates?

💡What role do media platforms and journalism play in polarized debates?

💡What strategies promote a constructive debate culture?

Specifically, we are collaborating with several universities to research the following questions:

This is where our research collective, initiated and coordinated by the Chair of Climate Communication at the University of Hamburg, comes into play. In various projects, international researchers and practice partners work together to find ways to create more constructive debates.

But what do we do when that debate is no longer productive? When counter-arguments no longer seem to be heard because they come from the "wrong" side? When public debates are increasingly polarized by political actors and political solutions fall by the wayside?

Polarized debates on climate change or migration, fueled by populists, media dynamics, and digital networks, can stall political progress. But disagreement is not the problem: democracy thrives on diversity of opinion, exchange, and debate!

What narratives drive polarization in debates?

How can human and AI-moderation contribute to depolarizing debates?

What role do media platforms and journalism play in polarized debates? What could alternative journalistic practices be?

What strategies promote a constructive debate culture?

We investigate how (media) communication can be rethought to overcome polarization and promote dialogue in times of unavoidable transformation processes. Including research projects on questions such as:

This is where our research collective comes in!

We are a collaboration of scholars from Hamburg, Lund, Leeds, Mannheim, Dortmund, Kansas, and Indiana, initiated by the Chair of Climate Communication at the University of Hamburg.

When political actors undermine the diversity of opinions and debates are characterized by aggression and extreme voices, political solutions often fall by the wayside. The question of what role media and platforms play in such processes is more urgent than ever.