In spring 2023, I assumed the role of head of the junior research group "Change." This role is both exciting and challenging, as the group is committed to researching the digital transformation of societies and supporting this process through effective science communication.
In my research, I focus on how people perceive themselves and their environment, and how they interactively negotiate and shape what we generally understand as culture. This encompasses individual processes such as personal attitudes, feelings, and needs, as well as group-related phenomena such as the emergence and development of social identities and group movements.
Digital change, especially the evolution of social media, significantly influences these processes by altering how we handle information and how we interact and communicate. However, this process is not one-sided; users are not merely passive recipients of new digital offerings but actively and creatively shape them according to their existing goals. Influential hashtag movements like #FridaysforFuture or #MeToo illustrate how users have transformed a simple index function into a tool for mass mobilization and networking.
It's an exciting time for research! New analysis techniques and "big data" provide profound insights into human interaction and communication behavior, and the complex challenges of our time compel us to think outside the box and develop innovative collaborations. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of making science accessible to non-academic audiences. I am looking forward to tackling these challenges as part of the leadership of the junior research group "Change."
Adrian Lüders studied and completed his doctorate in Social Psychology at the University of Salzburg (Austria). He then conducted postdoctoral research at the Laboratory of Social and Cognitive Psychology at the University of Clermont Auvergne (France) and at the Centre for Social Issues Research at the University of Limerick (Ireland). In March 2023, Adrian assumed the role of head of the junior research group "Change" at the Institute of Communication Science at the University of Hohenheim.
