Digital Media and Human Behavior - Einzelansicht

This seminar will provide you with direct and hands-on insights into research on Social Media Platforms and their effects on users’ emotions, thoughts, and behavior.

Secifically, this seminar will explore the emotion of shame in the context of Social Media usage. 

Shame is a regular day-to-day emotion, one of the so-called self-conscious emotions. Shame usually arises when we face a situation that signals that we don’t meet specific social standards or our own goals and are afraid of being criticized. Shame is a regular human emotion and can have adaptive qualities. However, in most cases, it is an unpleasant emotion. It can lead to severe mental-health-related consequences if experienced chronically. 

 Social Media platforms have become modern-day arenas to showcase our successes and most precious moments. However, constant exposure to this ”highlight reel” can also be a severe downside of Social Media usage. For a long, research has shown that this "positivity overload" can trigger harmful emotions which can seriously compromise users' well-being. Though underresearched so far, feelings of shame likely also play a role in users’ emotional experiences on the platforms. Constantly looking at the seemingly perfect lives of others can bring our shortcomings to the fore, reinforcing the feeling that we will never achieve these hyper-perfect versions of life, thus providing the basis for shame. What are the drivers of this emotion? In which situations does it arise? And what consequences does it have for users' behaviors and experiences on the platforms and beyond? This is exactly where this seminar comes in. 

Students will work in groups and apply different methods to tackle these research questions. The following methods are planned (one per group):

• Qualitative Methods (e.g., Interviews, Focus Groups)
• Systematic Literature Reviews 
• Small-scale quantitative methods (e.g., design your own survey, analysis using e.g., multiple linear regression)

Important: 

Please note that this seminar is dedicated solely to the research question described above, and we welcome students who bring a general interest in the topic. No other topics other than the above will be offered and supervised during the seminar.  Please take this into account when choosing this seminar. 

For the course, we will use Moodle for central communication, distribution of tasks and literature, and the submission of final reports.

The Moodle details will be added to PULS after the seminar’s first session.

Project work will be conducted in groups of 2 or 3. You will conduct research on a specified research question using a method of choice (systematic literature reviews, qualitative or quantitive research methods). During your work, you will be guided and supervised by the instructors, offering periodic supervision slots throughout the semester. The course is meant for students to apply their methodological and theoretical knowledge gained in previous classes to a practical research project.

Graded tasks during the course are:

1. Mid-Term Presentation
2. Final Presentation
3. Written Research Report

Attendance during the first session (April 21) and the presentation sessions (June 2 and Juli 28) is mandatory.

This course is meant for students with at least some experience and skills in handling academic literature and mastering scientific research methods. We offer students the unique chance to apply their previously learned skills in conducting research themselves, presenting, and summarising the findings in the form of a seminar paper.

Therefore, students are invited who have either already attended a seminar to gain first research experience or other seminars or lectures of the Chair of Information Systems, especially Social Media and Data Science (e.g., Social Media Research, Advanced Research Methods).