Digital Democracy & Participation

The Digital Democracy & Participation research group is a joint research group of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, with teams in Karlsruhe and Berlin. It studies how digital platforms, algorithmic systems, and generative AI shape political participation, polarization, and the manipulation of information, and how information systems can be designed to strengthen democratic processes. The interdisciplinary team combines empirical social science methods with Design Science Research and develops prototypes together with public institutions, media, and civil society organizations. For the group's perspective on the field, see the editorial 'Digital Democracy: A Wake-Up Call' in Business & Information Systems Engineering (2024) by Christof Weinhardt, Jonas Fegert, Oliver Hinz, and Wil van der Aalst.

 

Head of Research Group

Jonas Fegert Dr. Jonas Fegert
+49 (30) 7017337-338
fegert∂fzi de

 

Researchers

Borukhson, David
+49 (721) 608-48344
david.borukhson∂kit.edu		 Büll, Jasper
Buell∂fzi de		 Jarvers, Louis
jarvers∂fzi.de
Labbouz, Amal
amal.labbouz∂kit.edu		   Brinkmann, Paul
brinkmann∂fzi.de		 Linde, Maximiliane
linde∂fzi de
Ni, Ina
ni∂fzi.de		 Pfannschmidt, Cosima
+49 30 7017337-443
pfannschmidt∂fzi.de		 Salzmann, Johann-Friedrich
salzmann∂fzi de
Speck, Christina
+49 (721) 608-48377
christina.speck∂kit.edu		 Wulf, Jessica
+49 721 608-41584
jessica.wulf∂kit.edu		    

Student Assistants

Wirbelauer, Lara Vivian
wirbelauer∂fzi de

Bengfort, Cara
bengfort∂fzi de

 Ernst, Sophia
Ernst2∂fzi de

Alumni

Dr. Bezzaoui, Isabel
 		 Baldzuhn, Clemens
 		 Büchel, Florian
 
Glaum, Louisa
 		 Pompas Oreiro, Pamela
 		 Dr. Stein, Carolin
 
Le Corre Juratic, Morgan Wahl, Johannes    

Research Areas:

  • Societal Polarization in Times of Crises
  • Mechanisms of Polarization in Online Social Networks: Exploring the role of platform mechanisms such as filter bubbles and echo chambers in fostering societal divides.
  • Information Manipulation and Disinformation: Detection and analysis of disinformation, including the impact of generative AI on the distribution and amplification of false information.
  • E-Participation and Digital Involvement Projects: Initiatives in e-Participation, Digital Citizen Science, fostering public involvement in democratic processes through digital platforms.
  • Digital Government: Research into the digitization of governmental processes, enhancing transparency, efficiency, and citizen engagement in democratic governance.
  • Immersive Systems and the Governance of Virtual Environments: Investigating augmented and virtual reality environments, and the frameworks for democratic governance within the evolving metaverse.
  • Explainable AI and Trust in AI: Designing transparent AI systems and studying their effects on trust and media literacy: Enhancing media literacy and public trust through the development of transparent, explainable AI systems.

 

Research Methods:

  • Quantitative Research (e.g. Panel Studies, Online Surveys)
  • Experimental and Behavioral Research
  • Qualitative Research (e.g. Expert Interviews, Focus Groups, Workshops)
  • Network Analysis
  • Design Science Research
  • Citizen Science
  • Computational Methods (e.g. NLP, Agent-Based Simulation)

Interdisciplinary Research: The team combines backgrounds in information systems, computer science, computational social science, political science, psychology, and human-computer interaction.

Teaching Activities: Currently, we offer the "Digital Democracy" Lecture in the winter term and each semester the "Digital Democracy" Seminar. Additionally, we contribute to the "Platform & Market Engineering: Commerce, Media, and Digital Democracy" and the Platform Economics" lecture.

Current Projects

  • SOSEC – Social Sentiment in Times of Crises (Alfred Landecker Foundation)
  • TACIT – Transatlantic Analysis of Civic Involvement in the Transformation of Democracy (Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, with Princeton University)
  • kuKI – Culturalization-Sensitive AI Assistance for a Disinformation-Resilient Multilingual Society (BMFTR)
  •  DisCoBoard – An AI Dashboard Helping Youth Uncover Online Disinformation (BMBFSFJ)
  • MuDDi – Multi-modal Deepfake Detection (SPRIND)

Completed Projects

House of Participation

Our research group works closely with the House of Participation (HoP) at FZI, a competence center for digital participation and democracy. Inquiries from students interested in a student assistant position (HiWi), a seminar, or a bachelor's or master's thesis are welcome.

HoPcast: the House of Participation podcast on democracy and participation in the digital age.

 

Digital Democracy: Key Competencies at the KIT House of Competence


Technical universities such as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) play a central role in democratic education: they are where the future designers and decision-makers of the tech sector are trained. The project "Digital Democracy: Key Competencies in and for Digital Democracy" therefore focuses on students. In the Digital Democracy Camp, they engage with digital democracy, contribute their own ideas, and develop key competencies for a democratic society in the digital age. The project also produces a competency framework for digital democracy literacy, an online course with self-study materials, and a platform that makes relevant initiatives and expertise at KIT visible. The initiative of the House of Competence is led by Sarah Herrmann, Prof. Dr. Michael Mäs, and Dr. Alexa Maria Kunz.