The Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt), the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), Leibniz Institute for Media Research – Hans Bredow Institute (HBI) and the Weizenbaum Institute (WI) invite doctoral and postdoctoral researchers to present their work at the joint Digitalisation Research Seminar – DigiMeet.
The main purpose of this interdisciplinary event is to provide a forum for early career researchers with a focus on digitalisation-related topics. DigiMeet offers opportunities for networking, discussing results and ideas, and gathering inspiration for new and ideally collaborative research projects.
Each year, our networking event addresses a topic that can be understood as a key concept in the ethical and human-centred design of digital transformation. In an increasingly platform-centred digital world, the governance of platforms has become a critical tool in maintaining and expanding a democratic digital infrastructure in the EU and beyond. At the same time, these efforts are confronted with global policy challenges, as the platform landscape is rapidly transforming. DigiMeet 2025 aims to explore the latest developments in global platform governance, focusing on the underlying power dynamics, societal implications and technological advancements that shape our policy discourse. Through the lens of four subtopics, we seek to approach the focus topic from different perspectives:
Programme
The meeting will start with a morning keynote by Dr. Tobias Mast. Tobias Mast is Head of the research programme “Regulatory Structures and the Emergence of Rules in Online Spaces” at HBI, and member of the advisory board of the German Coordination Office for Digital Services at Bundesnetzagentur.
Afterwards, participants will present their research in two tracks „Platform regulation and community building“ and „Platforms as shapers and instruments of governance“ with a morning and an afternoon session in each track . Sessions will be chaired by an expert from the convening institutions (see above). After a short introduction by the chair, contributors may present their research plans or findings in a lightning talk (10-15 minutes) followed by a quick q&a (5-10 minutes). Each session will be concluded by a joint discussion.
Track 1: Platform regulation and community building
Morning Session: Regulatory frameworks (Chair: Matthias Kettemann, HBI)
This session will delve into the regulatory frameworks that seek to balance democratic values with the necessity of control in the digital space. We will examine how European regulations, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), aspire to uphold democratic principles while also addressing the challenges posed by misinformation, privacy and monopolistic behaviours of tech giants. The discussion will highlight the tensions between accountability and freedom, as well as the implications for citizens‘ rights in a digital age.
Afternoon Session: Networks and discourses (Chair: Andreas Jungherr, Uni Bamberg)
Social media platforms transform how people connect and engage in public discourse, offering empowerment and collective action while also spreading misinformation. They enable communities to form around shared interests, fostering activism and social change. However, engagement-driven algorithms amplify sensationalist content, reinforcing biases and deepening divides. Tackling these challenges demands both platform accountability and user awareness.
Track 2: Platforms as shapers and instruments of governance
Morning Session: Opportunities and challenges of AI (Chair: Tim Majchrzak, CAIS)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in shaping platform governance. This session will investigate how AI technologies are utilised for content moderation, user engagement and decision-making processes within platforms. We will discuss the ethical implications of AI deployment, including transparency, accountability and bias. Moreover, the session will consider how AI can be harnessed to enhance governance mechanisms while ensuring that democratic values are upheld in an increasingly automated environment.
Afternoon Session: Platforms as governance facilitators (Chair: Annett Schulze, WI)
Platforms have emerged not only as commercial entities and social networks but also as vital instruments for governance, for example in crisis management contexts. This segment will focus on how platforms can facilitate communication, mobilisation, and resource allocation during crises such as pandemics, natural disasters or social unrest. We will analyse case studies that illustrate the dual role of platforms as shapers of public discourse and as tools for (governmental) action, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that arise from this duality.
DigiMeet closes with a group debate on our visions and thoughts about the ideal platform of the future.
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