Simulation gesellschaftlicher Medienwirkungsprozesse am Beispiel der Schweigespirale

Der Beitrag stellt mit der agentenbasierten Modellierung (ABM) eine Methode zur Diskussion, mit der sich dynamische Medienwirkungsprozesse auf mehreren Ebenen modellieren und simulieren lassen. Dazu wird das Mikro-Makro-Problem in der Medienwirkungsforschung genauer erläutert und aus Sicht der Komplexitätstheorie interpretiert. Die Methode der Computersimulation sozialer Prozesse, speziell mit-tels ABM, wird erläutert. Schließlich wird die ABM am Beispiel der Schweigespira-le vorgestellt, um ihre Eignung für die Untersuchung dynamischer, gesellschaftlicher Medienwirkungsprozesse zu demonstrieren. Hierzu werden die Annahmen der Schweigespirale nach Noelle- Neumann in einem Computermodell formalisiert und in ihrer Dynamik simuliert. Nach der Darstellung zentraler Simulationsergebnisse werden abschließend Chancen und Grenzen der Simulationsmethode für die Medi-enwirkungsforschung diskutiert

Ein Phasenmodell

In diesem Beitrag analysieren wir Kriegsberichterstattung aus einer Längsschnittperspektive. Das in der Kommunikationswissenschaft häufig diskutierte Themenzyklusmodell übertragen wir auf medial beachtete Kriege. Dabei differenzieren wir nach der Dauer und Vorhersehbarkeit der Kriegsereignisse verschiedene Typen von Themenverläufen mit unterschiedlichen Phasen. Wir nehmen an, dass sich die Berichterstattung von Phase zu Phase nicht nur quantitativ, sondern auch in ihren inhaltlichen Merkmalen unterscheidet. Anhand der Berichterstattung über den Libanonkrieg 2006 in den Tageszeitungen Süddeutsche Zeitung und Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wird das vorgeschlagene Modell empirisch exploriert. Die Analyse zeigt, dass die Berichterstattung in diesem Fall in vier verschiedene Phasen eingeteilt werden kann und vor allem ereignisgetrieben ist. Die größte Vielfalt der Sprecher, die zu Wort kommen, herrscht in der Hochphase der Berichterstattung, in der insbesondere Medien- und Kriegsakteure deutlich mehr Raum in der Berichterstattung einnehmen als in den anderen Phasen.In this article, we analyse war coverage from a longitudinal perspective. In doing so, we refer to the classical issue cycle model, which has been discussed frequently in communication science. We adapt the model to war coverage and – according to the duration and the predictability of war events – we distinguish different types of news cycles. We assume that different stages of news coverage differ not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively with regard to the cited sources. The coverage on the war in Lebanon (2006) in the newspapers Süddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung serves as a case study for the empirical exploration of the suggested model. The coverage can be divided into four different phases, and the results show that it was mainly event-driven. In the peak phase of coverage, increased citations of actors participating in the conflict and of other media actors are observed, as well as generally the most diverse range of voices to be heard in the coverage

The Interpersonal Circumplex and the Five-Factor Theory of personality as frames of reference

This article reviews existing approaches to defining and distinguishing communication styles and proposes a common frame of reference for future research. The literature review yields two schools of thought: the behavior- centered perspective and the personality-oriented perspective. Although these lines of research differ in their ways of defining communication styles, they show considerable similarities with respect to their classification. Many researchers build their taxonomies on two key dimensions: assertiveness and responsiveness. We propose embedding communication styles into the Five-Factor Theory (FFT) and defining them as characteristic adaptations of personality. We also suggest the Interpersonal Circumplex (IPC) as a reference model for distinguishing communication styles as it is able to integrate substantial dimensions and facets of existing taxonomies in a parsimonious way

Community detection in civil society online networks: Theoretical guide and empirical assessment

Community detection is a fundamental challenge in the analysis of online networks. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding how to accomplish this task in a manner that acknowledges domain-specific, substantive social theory. We develop a typology of what social phenomena communities of hyperlinked actors may signify—topical similarities, ideological associations, strategic alliances, and potential user traffic—and offer recommendations for community detection grounded in these concepts. Testing procedures on a hyperlink network of the food safety movement, we demonstrate that the handling of tie directions and weights as well as algorithm choice influence which communities are ultimately detected in such a network

A Hyperlink Analysis on the Food Safety Issue in Germany

This article focuses on the constellations of actors engaged in the food safety debate in Germany and the potential of civil society organizations for mobilization and politicization of the issue. In an exploratory case study we assess the structure of communication between these organizations by applying hyperlink analysis. Our study sheds light on the nature of the issue network and in particular on their linkages with media and political actors. We interpret communication network patterns with respect to civil society actors' opportunities to make food safety salient on the agenda and to mobilize around it and politicize it. In fact, our empirical study shows that the structure of linkages between civil society actors, media organizations and political actors in Germany offers favourable opportunities for making the food safety issue salient and for politicizing it in the offline world

Who Are They and Where? Insights Into the Social and Spatial Dimensions of Imagined Audiences From a Mobile Diary Study of Twitter Users

Social media users hardly know who is reading their posts, but they form ideas about their readership. Researchers have coined the term imagined audience for the social groups that actors imagine seeing their public communication. However, social groups are not the only aspect that requires imagination: In the potentially borderless online environment, the geographical scope and locations of one’s audience are also unknown. Furthermore, research has demonstrated that imagined audiences vary between people and situations, but what explains these variations is unclear. In this article, we address these two gaps—the geographical scope and predictors of imagined audiences—using data from a mobile experience sampling method study of 105 active Twitter users from Berlin, Germany. Our results show that respondents mostly think of a geographically broad audience, which is spread out across the country or even globally. The imagined geographical scope and social groups depend on both the communicator and the usage situation. While the audience’s social composition especially depends on tweet content and respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, the geographical scope is best explained by respondents’ biography and personal mobility, including their experience of living in other countries and local residential duration

A Comparative Study of Structures and Coalitions in Germany, the UK, the US, and Switzerland

In times of genetically modified food, globalized production and distribution chains, food safety is a major issue in public policy. Although industrial actors have traditionally had remarkable influence on political decision- making in this area, challenger organizations from civil society have gained influence by mobilizing support and shaping public discourse on the Internet. The authors’ study analyzes online issue networks concerning food safety in order to assess the actor constellations and coalitions that may serve as an opportunity structure for the mobilization of the issue. By comparing the US, the UK, Germany, and Switzerland, the authors investigate the differences in policy settings between pluralist and corporatist democracies. They find that the mobilization structures related to food safety issues are actively promoted by the challengers themselves. In countries where challengers do not find support within national politics, the challengers’ online communication refers to mass media as witnesses to legitimize their concern in public debates

Translocal networked public spheres: Spatial arrangements of metropolitan Twitter

In this study, we theoretically conceptualize and empirically investigate translocal spatial arrangements of networked public spheres on social media. In digital communication networks, actors easily connect with others globally, crossing the borders of cities, nations and languages. However, the spatial notions evoked in public sphere research to date remain largely territorial. We propose a theoretical framework drawing on Löw’s sociology of space, which highlights the relational and translocal nature of spatial arrangements. In a case study of the translocal interaction network of Berlin Twitter users, we demonstrate how this framework can be leveraged empirically using network analysis. Despite the overall network of Berlin’s Twittersphere spanning the whole world, we find territorialized as well as deterritorialized translocal communities. This points to the simultaneity of territorial and networked spatial logics in digital public spheres

Integration durch Kommunikation: einige einführende Überlegungen

Integration und Desintegration sind nicht notwendig Gegensätze, sondern immer auch zwei Seiten derselben Medaille. Integration ist nie total, sondern indirekt und unbewusst auch abgrenzend, ausschließend. In diesem Band geht es insbesondere um die integrierenden und desintegrierenden Mechanismen der digitalen bzw. digitalisierten Kommunikation. Vor diesem Hintergrund führt die Einleitung in die Beiträge dieses Proceedings ein und diskutiert schließlich den gesellschaftlichen Stellenwert digitalisierter Kommunikation in Bezug auf Integration und Desintegration.Integration and disintegration are not necessarily a contradistinction. Instead, they may also be two sides of a coin. Integration can never include everything and everybody but also indirectly and unconsciously exludes parts of a whole. This volume addresses the integrating and disintegrating mechanisms of digital or digitalized communication. Against this background the introduction introduces the contributions of the proceedings and discusses the societal relevance of digitalized communication with respect of integration and disintegration