Social Issue Emergence in the Hybrid Media System

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Thorsten Quandt
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 497105303

o Wider research context / theoretical framework:This project investigates the phenomenon of “social issue emergence” (SIE) as illustrated by prominent hashtag campaigns like #metoo or #blacklivesmatter. These issues emerge in a hybrid media system (Chadwick 2017) where older and newer media logics interact: they first evolve in social media among net-savvy groups, harbor further potential for emotionalization, and offer starting points for a larger societal thematization. At a certain point of viral spread, the issues are picked up by traditional, professionalized news media and make their way into the societal mainstream. So far, the understanding of the phenomenon and its underlying logics have remained incomplete, as previous approaches either focus on macro effects, event properties or actors in the process as decisive factors– but typically in isolation.o Hypotheses/research questions /objectives:We assume that the overall process of SIE is driven by two (seemingly contradictory) parallel processes and their interactions: (a) viral spread of issues and (b) (partial) control by individuals and groups. In our project, we will study these processes in detail to achieve a deeper theoretical exploration as well as a better understanding of the inner logics of SIE based on empirical research and eventually develop and refine a general theoretical model of the phenomenon. Main research questions are: which groups participate in the hashtag debates in which stages and in which manner, and how do the contents of the debates change over time? How can SIE trajectories be represented and explained with the help of a multi-level computational model?o Approach/methods:First, we will focus on an in-depth theoretical classification and modeling of the phenomenon which takes into account the dynamic interplay of micro- and meso- interactions as well as macro-processes. Then, in order to empirically identify and analyze a wide range of SIE cases, we combine guided in-depth interviews of involved actors with automated content analysis of social media, alternative media, and news. A special focus is on the longitudinal analyses of the data via time series and dynamic network analyses. The insights from the theoretical exploration and empirical studies will be integrated into an agent-based model (ABM) allowing to reconstruct and simulate the multi-level dynamics of SIE trajectories.o Level of originality / innovation:By combining innovative, cutting-edge methods of computational modeling and analysis with theoretical and empirical groundwork, we will develop a generalistic, dynamic, multi- level model of social issue emergence that will represent the characteristics of the phenomenon and its inner logics. The model will help to understand and predict future trajectories of social issue emergence.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria
• Partner Organisation: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF)
• Cooperation Partner: Professorin Dr. Annie Waldherr