Digital media, especially the internet, have changed our lives in many ways. Thanks to mobile internet access, smartphones and tablets, media content and communication are now virtually omnipresent and constantly available. The ‘social web’, especially services such as Facebook and Twitter, are opening up completely new forms of interaction, participation and production.

Interactive media such as video and computer games, but also new video platforms like YouTube, offer entirely new forms of media entertainment, releasing recipients from their role as passive observers and placing them in the position of actively shaping and autonomously acting users.

While new, interactive media and Online Communication have long taken a firm place in our daily lives, many questions about the consequences of living in a digital society remain largely unanswered: What does friendship mean in the age of Facebook? How do users regulate the protection of their private data online? How often does our media use conflict with other, less pleasant daily duties? And what impact do constant availability and “digital stress” have on the quality of life in the “always-on” society?

Our research attempts to find answers to these and other questions relating to the use and impact of Online Communication. In our teaching, we teach theories, concepts and empirical approaches to analyze new forms of digital media use and to sensitize our students to the individual and social implications of using new media.

The research unit Media Effects and Media Psychology deals with questions at the interface between Communication Studies and Psychology. The various research projects focus on three thematic areas: (1) entertainment research, (2) self-regulation and well-being, and (3) mobile media use and constant connectivity.

The following research questions are investigated, among others:

  • How are items used to cope with stress or threats to needs?
  • How are algorithms changing the experience of entertainment on platforms such as Spotify, YouTube or Netflix?
  • How do smartphone users deal with constant pressure to be available?
  • How does the temporary withdrawal from the digital world affect well-being?
  • What effects does the enjoyment of media entertainment have on the well-being or political information processing of users?

In their empirical programs of study, the team members of the research unit apply a wide range of methods, including intensive longitudinal survey designs such as experience sampling or diary studies, computational methods such as data donation or automated content analysis, experimental designs, and systematic literature reviews, and consistently follow open science practices.

If you wish to write your final thesis with the employees of the Teaching and Research Unit Media Effects and Media Psychology, please observe the following guidelines.

After successfully completing your bachelor’s or master’s thesis in the Teaching and Research Area Media Effects and Media Psychology, you must take an oral final examination. The following conditions apply:

  • The examiner is usually the supervisor of your final thesis.
  • The examination is an individual examination and lasts 30 minutes (for bachelor’s) or 45 minutes (for master’s).
  • In the first half of the examination, the candidate briefly presents the final thesis, which is then discussed. For oral master’s examinations, please prepare a short PowerPoint presentation in which you concisely summarize the central research question, methodology, and results of your work, and which you present briefly (5 to a maximum of 10 minutes) at the beginning of the examination. For oral bachelor’s examinations, creating such a presentation is not necessary.
  • The second half of the examination is dedicated to another examination topic to be agreed upon in advance.
  1. After submitting your written final thesis, contact your supervisor via email.
  2. An overview of possible examination topics for oral examinations can be found on the right.
  3. Inform your supervisor of your desired topic for the oral examination. Ensure that there are no thematic overlaps between the topic you have chosen and the research question of your final thesis.
  4. You do not need to submit a literature list or a thesis paper for the examination topic. The examiner will provide you with a list of the examination-relevant literature that will be the subject of the examination.
  5. Ask your supervisor for appointment suggestions for the oral examination. The deadline for the written evaluation of your final thesis is six weeks. The oral examination takes place no later than four weeks after the evaluation.
  6. As soon as an examination date has been agreed upon with your supervisor, register it with the examination office.