Institut für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft

Forschung

Die Forschung des Instituts für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft behandelt Prozesse der öffentlichen, (medien-)vermittelten Kommunikation und deren infrastrukturelle Bedingungen sowie deren gesellschaftliche und individuelle Wirkungen. Dazu gehören in komparativer Perspektive die System- und Organisationsforschung, die Journalismusforschung, die historische Medienforschung, die Medieninhaltsforschung, sowie die Medienwirkungsforschung. Thematisch beschäftigen sich unsere Professorinnen und Professoren sowie das wissenschaftliche Personal mit zentralen Themen wie politische Kommunikation, Medienregulierung, Medienunterhaltung, Mediengeschichte, Medienwandel, Werbung oder Public Relations. Ein besonderer Stellenwert kommt dem Einsatz und der Weiterentwicklung der Methoden der empirischen Medien- und Kommunikationsforschung zu, insbesondere im Feld der Computational Communication Science.

Flagship Areas

Democracy & Society
Crisis & Uncertainty
Digital Technology & AI
Health & Well-Being

Publikationen

2025

Reinhardt, A., Matthes, J., Bojić, L., Maindal, H. T., Paraschiv, C., & Ryom, K. (2025). Help me, Doctor AI? A cross-national experiment on the effects of disease threat and stigma on AI health information-seeking intentions. Computers in Human Behavior, 172, Artikel 108718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108718

Engel, E., Gell, S., Karsay, K., & Heiss, R. (2025). Engagement With Influencers as Sources of Health Information and Product Promotions: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Austrian Youth Aged 15-25 Years. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.09.001

Kulichkina, A., Waldherr, A., & Wijermans, N. (2025). An Agent-Based Model of Online Protest and Repression in Authoritarian Settings. in Advances in Social Simulation Springer.

Munzir, A. A., Neureiter, A., Matthes, J., Chan, M., & Bojić, L. (2025). From sparks to action: The role of political influencers for young adults' political efficacy and political participation in Austria, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Serbia. Frontiers in Political Science, 7, Artikel 1620631. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2025.1620631

Kanková, J., Binder, A., & Matthes, J. (2025). It's true, but still harmful: Examining the effects of overgeneralized health messages by social media influencers using two pre-registered experiments. Journal of health communication : international perspectives. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2025.2566712

Roney, C., Wiesner, D., Riedl, A. A., & Eberl, J.-M. (2025). Rally and Recalibrate: Political Dynamics of Audience Expectations of Journalism During Times of Crisis. The International Journal of Press/Politics. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612251375203

Maares, P., Löhmann, K. D., Hanusch, F., & Nölleke, D. (2025). Autonomy, objectivity, and transparency: The meaning and negotiation of journalistic values across different journalistic beats. International Journal of Press/Politics. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612251375208

Matthes, J., Neureiter, A., Kirchmair, T., Bin Ahmad, M., Binder, A., Brandstetter, C., Chuenterawong, P., & Jang, J. (2025). Does social media use make us more environmentally knowledgeable or more eco-anxious? A multi-country investigation. Online Media and Global Communication, 4(3), 387-409. https://doi.org/10.1515/omgc-2025-0037

Matthes, J., Nguyen, P. Q. G., Koban, K., Meerson, R., Khaleghipour, M., Garner, D. S., Bührer, S., & Kirchmair, T. (2025). Discursive consequences of social media hostility: Chilling effects, avoidance, and intervention behaviors of emerging adults in the U.S. and Indonesia. Computers in Human Behavior, 171, Artikel 108704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108704

Nanz, A., & Matthes, J. (Angenommen/Im Druck). Let me entertain you: Does online incidental exposure to non-political content distract from political learning? Journal of Information Technology & Politics.

Forrai, M., Koban, K., & Matthes, J. (Angenommen/Im Druck). Not so ephemeral after all. Longitudinal associations between emerging adults’ engagement with ephemeral social media features, production stress, and social capital. Cyberpsychology : Journal of Psychological Research in Cyberspace.

Matthes, J., & Vranken, S. (Angenommen/Im Druck). The end of experimental research as we know it? A perspective on generative artificial intelligence in communication sciences. Communication and Change.

Koban, K. (2025). When digital connectivity drivers meet digital disconnection: A cross-country study on smartphone checking, digital disconnection strategies, and digital stress. Mobile Media & Communication. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579251378561

Wiesner, A. (2025). Tackling (misleading) incivility online: A user-centric evaluation of different comment moderation strategies. Information, Communication and Society, 1-19. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2557548

Leonhardt, B. M. (2025). Between principle and practice: Value patterns and negotiation strategies among journalists. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990251369022

Boomgaarden, H., Katsanidou, A., Kritzinger, S., Lutz, G., Willmann, J., & Eberl, J.-M. (2025). Open science in democracy research: the research infrastructure “Monitoring Electoral Democracy” (MEDem). European Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41304-025-00534-8

Vranken, S., Kanková, J., & Matthes, J. (2025). Artificial influencers, artificial designs? A systematic review of experimental research on virtual influencers. Telematics and Informatics: An Interdisciplinary Journal on the Social Impacts of New Technologies, 102, Artikel 102327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2025.102327

Betakova, D., Boomgaarden, H., & Lecheler, S. (2025). The role of choice architecture in mitigating news avoidance. Digital Journalism. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2025.2562143

Vranken, S., Beullens, K., & Geusens, F. (2025). #Drink or #Drunk? An experimental study investigating the impact of positive and negative alcohol depictions in ephemeral social media on alcohol cognitions. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2025.2559100

Harff, D. (2025). Intimate and opinion-oriented communication: Examining social media influencers’ opinion leader potential through their political content. Mass Communication and Society . https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2025.2550597