press releases
2021
- 2021-11-02 Pushing the Button: Study Reveals Importance of Pause Button for the Comprehension of Educational Videos read article
How do you calculate the oxygen content of water? How does the European Union work? These and many other questions are addressed in countless videos on various internet platforms, the most prominent of which is YouTube. But how do people actually use these educational videos? In the context of an interdisciplinary research project, scien-tists at the Leibniz Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM), the German Institute for Adult Edu-cation (DIE) and the TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology have now gained first insights into when and why users of online video platforms push the pause button.
- 2021-09-28 Polarization and Disinformation: IWM and University of Tübingen host international expert forum read article
From 4 to 6 October, an interdisciplinary symposium organised by the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM) and the University of Tübingen will bring together renowned experts from all over the world to share their insights on topics such as opinion polarization, fake news mechanisms or conspiracy theories. The aim is not only to understand these phenomena, but also to develop practical solutions to the challenges they pose. The keynotes will be streamed live and are open to the public.
- 2021-08-05 Increasing Vaccination Intentions: Study Sheds Light on Potential Persuasive Power of the Social Environment read article
In view of declining vaccination numbers and increasing Covid-19 cases, politicians are urging the public to continue taking up vaccination offers. However, the number of daily administered first doses is currently declining because many people are still sceptical about immunisation. This also applies, among others, to people who are prone to conspiracy theories. Researchers at the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM) in Tübingen have now discovered: even doubters are willing to get vaccinated – if their close social environment expects them to do so.
- 2021-06-11 Algorithms Aid Decision-Making During Pandemic: Public Generally Accepting of Computer Assistance read article
During the pandemic, many decisions with far-reaching consequences had to be made. Algorithms could have helped in making these. Researchers at the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM) in Tübingen, Germany, have now discovered that citizens generally do not object to the use of algorithm-based advice by those in responsible positions as long as a human is the final decision-maker.
