Degree Programs & Courses Competencies for the (digital) future

Future competencies

Information usage in the digital world

The information on offer digitally is huge and diverse - yet also constraining due to our consumption behavior. This paradox is fueled by algorithms and resolved in this module.

 

Thanks to digitalization, it has never been easier to access information cheaply, anytime, anywhere, as well as to gain insights into other perspectives. At the same time, international research interest in the phenomena of news avoidance on the one hand and digital echochambers on the other is constantly growing. In this module, you will learn more about their origins, their actual manifestations in society and their potential threats to our democracy.

Go to the ILIAS module (german)
Basic informations
Learning outcomes: Students will be able to...

  • ... name the (digital) channels that we use and trust in Switzerland to keep ourselves informed.
  • ... explain why there is an increase in news avoidance despite the diversity of information on the internet and what this has to do with social inequality.
  • ... reflect on how the choice of methods used in a study influences the results obtained on news avoidance.
  • ... critically question whether the often-discussed echo chambers really exist and what mechanisms could shape them.
  • ... critically reflect on their own digital media usage behavior.

 
Duration: 2 hours
Language: German and English
Expert: Prof. Dr. Silke Adam (Institute of Communication and Media Studies)
Eligibility requirements: Affiliation with a Swiss university
Credit transfer to study program:
 The possibility of crediting the module to one's own study program must currently be agreed upon bilaterally with each respective study program.
Authorship: The module was developed in a cooperation between the Institute of Communication and Media Studies, the Learning and Development Unit and the Support Center for ICT-Aided Teaching and Research (iLUB).
Completion: Students receive a confirmation of completion upon successful completion of this module.