P01 - Media of Praxeology I: Multisensory Mediality and Cooperative Practice Foto: Louis-Photo | stock.adobe.com | 244750183
Collaborative Research Centre 1187
Welcome to the web page of the Special Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1187 “Media of Cooperation” at the University of Siegen.
The CRC is an interdisciplinary collaborative research centre consisting of 19 subprojects and more than 60 researchers from media studies, ethnology, sociology, computer science, linguistics, ubiquitous computing, science and technology studies, education, law and engineering.
The Collaborative Research Centre 1187 has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since 2016. The research centre studies digital media, which have emerged as cooperative tools, platforms and infrastructures on a broad front, and approaches them as cooperatively accomplished means of cooperation. In the first funding phase (2016-2019), the CRC focused on the relevance of social media and platforms, while the second phase (2020-2023) centered on data-intensive media and data practices. Phase 3 (2024-2027) inquires the interplay between sensor media and artificial intelligence.
Dissertation on linguistic practices with voice assistants from project B06 published
by Tim Hector (University of Siegen)
In the book series “Empirical Linguistics” at De Gruyter Brill, the dissertation by Tim Hector (project B06 Un/desired Observation in Interaction – Smart Environments, Language, Body, and Senses in Private Households) has been published as an open-access publication in German.
The dissertation “Smart Speakers in Dialogue. Linguistic Practices with Voice User Interfaces” examines voice assistants from a linguistic perspective. The focus is on smart speakers such as “Alexa” or “Google Home.” These devices are voice-controlled and provide, among other things, music or weather information. The study investigates how dialogue with these devices is linguistically organized, what practices emerge, and how the devices are integrated into everyday life.
The work combines theoretical discussions on praxeology and domestication with an empirical analysis of audio and video recordings. The corpus includes situations of initial installation and everyday use. For audio recordings in everyday life, a specially developed device was used that automatically captures voice commands (Conditional Voice Recorder, see our CRC-Working Paper No. 23). Methodologically, the dissertation follows a qualitative research design and draws on principles of conversation analysis.
The analyses show for dyadic dialogues (i.e., one person and one device), that address terms such as “Alexa” are newly functionalized and that the course of conversations must follow strict sequential patterns. Practices from other conversation-analytic categories—such as turn-taking or repair—remain visible but are technically reshaped. New practices also emerge, such as deliberate interruptions (barge-ins).
In multi-party situations, smart speakers are sometimes framed linguistically as participants, sometimes as objects. Particularly noteworthy is a “formal-functional split”: utterances that appear to be addressed to devices often serve other purposes—such as humor, frustration management, or the domestication of resistant technology.
Research on AI, Big Data Processing & Synthetic Media
The CRC “Media of Cooperation” launches its Critical Data School initiative at the University of Siegen with the international Autumn School “Synthetic Imaginaries: The Cultural Politics of Generative AI”.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), big data processing, and synthetic media has profoundly reshaped how culture is produced, made sense of, and experienced today. To ‘synthesize’ is to assemble, collate, and compile, blending heterogeneous components into something new. Where there is synthesis, there is power at play. Synthetic media—as exemplified by the oddly prophetic early speech synthesizer demos—carry the logic of analog automation into digital cultures where human and algorithmic interventions converge. Much of the research in this area—spanning subjects as diverse as augmented reality, avatars, and deepfakes—has revolved around ideas of simulation, focusing on the manipulation of data and content people produce and consume. Meanwhile, generative AI and deep learning models, while central to debates on artificiality, raise political questions as part of a wider social ecosystem where technology is perpetually reimagined, negotiated, and contested: What images and stories feed the datasets that contemporary AI models are trained on? Which imaginaries are reproduced through AI-driven media technologies and which remain latent? How do synthetic media transform relations of power and visibility, and what methods—perhaps equally synthetic—can we develop to analyze these transformations?
About the Autumn School
The five-day event at the University of Siegen explores the relationship between synthetic media and today’s imaginaries of culture and technology, which incorporate AI as an active participant. By “synthetic,” we refer not simply to the artificial but to how specific practices and ways of knowing take shape through human-machine co-creation. Imaginaries, in turn, reflect shared visions, values, and expectations—shaping not only what technologies do but how they are perceived and made actionable in everyday life.
Event Highlights
The five-day event features three keynotes and opens with a conference that brings together a total of six panels with contributions by scholars from Hong Kong, Norway, Australia, Germany, Austria, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Taiwan, and the UK.
Our keynotes
“Synthetic Narration: Do AI-generated stories flatten cultural diversity?” by Jill Walker Rettberg (Center for Digital Narrative, University of Bergen)
“Synthetic situations: Ethnographic strategies for post-artificial worlds” by Gabriele de Seta (Center for Digital Narrative, University of Bergen)
“Design Research with visual generative AI: failures, challenges, and research pathways” by Ángeles Briones (DensityDesign Lab, Politecnico di Milano)
From the second day onwards, the Autumn School moves into hands-on workshops and project work facilitated by a team of interdisciplinary scholars and data designers.
Mix questions! Monday, 8 September
Day one opens space for emerging questions—think of it as an idea hub. The panels explore diverse topics, from identities and digital narratives to platforms, infrastructures, and the politics of AI. The discussion-focused format invites participants to pose questions, share concepts, and highlight methodological challenges in an open exchange, rather than focusing on individual presentations.
Mix methods! Tuesday, 9 September-Thursday, 11 September
The next three days are about exploring new methods—hands-on! Each of our project teams will present a research question alongside a specific method to be collaboratively explored. Participants will not only learn how to design prompts and work with AI-generated text and images, but also how to critically account for genAI models as platform models. All projects draw on intersectional approaches, combining qualitative and quantitative data to explore the synthetic dimensions of AI agency—with contributions by Gabriele De Seta (University of Bergen), Marcus Burkhardt (University of Paderborn), Hendrik Bender (University of Siegen), Marloes Geboers (University of Amsterdam), Elena Pilipets (University of Siegen), Riccardo Ventura (Politecnico di Milano), Andrea Benedetti (Politecnico di Milano), Ángeles Briones (Politecnico di Milano), Carolin Gerlitz (University of Siegen), Sara Messelaar Hammerschmidt (University of Siegen), Jill Walker Rettberg (University of Bergen).
Synthesize! Friday, 12 September
The final day is dedicated to sharing, reflecting, and synthesizing the questions, methods, and insights developed throughout the week. Project teams will present their collaborative processes, highlight key takeaways, and discuss how their ideas and approaches shifted through hands-on experimentation with methods.
Du bist interessiert, organisiert und hast Lust, in einem kleinen Team in die spannende und abwechslungsreiche Welt der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit einzutauchen? Veranstaltungen mitzugestalten und bei der Datenerhebung mitzuwirken klingt nach deinem Ding und du möchtest Wissenschaft online und offline erlebbar machen? Dann suchen wir genau dich!
SHK/WHB-Stelle im SFB-Teilprojekt A04 „Normale Betriebsausfälle. Struktur und Wandel von Infrastrukturen im öffentlichen Dienst“
zunächst für 1 Jahr, mit der Möglichkeit einer Verlängerung
Beschäftigung auf Grundlage des Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetzes
Was dich bei uns erwartet:
Sozial- und Medienwissenschaften praxisnah: Du interessierst dich für Themen der Mobilität, Nachhaltigkeit und den Wandel unserer Gesellschaft. Deine Mithilfe bei der Recherche von passender Literatur, der Aufbereitung und Auswertung von Forschungsdaten ist gefragt.
Hands-on bei Events: Deine Ideen und Hände sind gefragt. Hilf mit bei der Organisation und Durchführung öffentlicher Veranstaltungen, z.B. Workshops und Tagungen.
Was du mitbringen solltest:
Du bist in Sozialwissenschaft oder Medienwissenschaft mit sozialwissenschaftlichen Schwerpunkt immatrikuliert.
Du hast Spaß daran, Dinge zu organisieren und an Forschung mitzuwirken.
Du arbeitest strukturiert, bist eigenständig und verantwortungsbewusst.
Was wir dir bieten:
Ein motiviertes, nettes Team und eine entspannte Arbeitsatmosphäre.
Flexible Arbeitszeiten und Homeoffice-Möglichkeit – damit Uni und Job zusammenpassen.
Spannende Einblicke in die Projektarbeit und Wissenschaftsorganisation.
Klingt gut? Dann schick uns eine kurze Bewerbung bis zum 12.09.2025 und zeig uns, warum du perfekt in unser Team passt. Sende deine Bewerbungsunterlagen (kurzes Motivationsschreiben, Lebenslauf, ggf. Arbeits- und/oder Studienzeugnisse) in einer pdf-Datei an Damaris Lehmann (damaris.lehmann[ae]uni-siegen.de). Wir freuen uns darauf, dich kennenzulernen.
Following the CRC annual conference 2023, New Media & Society Special Issue on “Digital Twinning” now published
About drivers of the fourth industrial revolution
Digital twins represent the techno-ideological paradigm of our time. The new special issue discusses practices, theories, technologies, and histories of digital twinning from different disciplines. All contributions are available on open access.
Digital twins are currently the most important drivers of the fourth industrial revolution. Ever more complex technical products and processes are now developed and tested in the virtual sphere before they emerge in the “real” world. Future artefacts and practices are first produced as software models and simulated as digital twins. The prevalence of digital twins in industry and research creates a fundamental paradigm shift in digital-media technologies. The digital is neither a real-time virtual representation of a real-world physical object nor an entirely separate object: it is much more, for it allows for the analysis of future performances of objects without the physical presence of these objects.
Digital twins represent the techno-ideological paradigm of our time. They have their own ethos in the context of a technocratic view of the world, which presumes that everything observable or at least sense-able can also be made countable, accountable, and computable. While digital twinning originally only involved technical systems, it nowadays also predicts other parameters, such as human movement patterns and occasionally also social aspects. Digital twins are thus emblematic and paradigmatic of a technocratic view of the world defined by the belief that everything can be calculated and controlled. Digital twins are technopolitical artefacts, or rather, they are inscribed with a techno-ecology, as they are increasingly involved in institutional decision-making that can ultimately affect us all. It is in this context that digital twins unfold their true power.
Christoph Borbach, Wendy H.K. Chun, and Tristan Thielmann took this situation as an opportunity to co-edit a special issue of New Media & Society on “Digital Twinning”. The special issue is now available online, with most contributions in open access. Their co-authored editorial “Making everything ac-count-able: The digital twinning paradigm” can be found here.
This special issue includes an array of excellent and insightful contributions by authors such as Louise Amoore, Jussi Parikka, Orit Halpern, John S. Seberger & Geoffrey C. Bowker, Oliver Dawkins & Rob Kitchin, and many more. In total, the issue contains 14 papers examining practices, theories, technologies, and histories of digital twinning from different disciplines using a diverse set of methods.
University projects inform about electronic patient record
Information events on the introduction of electronic patient records
As part of an information and discussion event, researchers from the University of Siegen provided information about the use of electronic patient records. In addition to providing general information, they offered citizens the opportunity to discuss open questions and concerns surrounding the topic.
About the event
In cooperation with the Digital Specialist and Health Center (DFGZ) of the medical office “Spieren & Kollegen,” subproject 4 “Health and Aging” of the FUSION research project, together with the subproject of CRC A05 “Cooperative Creation of User Autonomy in the Context of an Aging Society” has already held two information and discussion events on the introduction of electronic patient records (ePA). The central concern of those involved is to remove the barriers to the use of ePA for citizens and to support the transfer of knowledge among medical practices in South Westphalia. In addition to providing general information on electronic patient records, the events also offered an opportunity to discuss open questions and concerns surrounding the topic.
Claudia Müller, head of both research projects, commented that such events naturally do not reach a mass audience, but that there is hope that many of the more than 100 participants in the two ePA events will act as multipliers. One challenge is that not everyone has the same skills or technical capabilities to actually use the electronic patient record themselves. Although this is not a problem specific to the ePA, it must be taken into account in times of increasing digitalization and online offerings, Müller continued.
Dennis Kirschsieper, a member of the CRC’s subproject A05, and Dr. Stephan Krayter, a member of the FUSION project, have been involved in the project from the outset and explain:
“When new technologies are introduced, it is common for some people to try them out and use them immediately out of curiosity – so-called ‘technology pioneers’ or ‘early adopters’ – while others are more hesitant to embrace the new, preferring to watch others and wait and see. By sharing the experiences of early adopters, we are helping to make it easier for others to get started with electronic patient records.”
Upcoming interview study: Call for participation
Following the successful introduction of the ePA, the main focus now is on supporting the exchange of information regarding problems with the electronic patient record and accompanying the introduction and actual use of the ePA by citizens with a qualitative interview study.
The research team is calling for participants to take part in this study. The aim of the study is to collect and scientifically evaluate users’ experiences with the electronic patient record.
Bis zu 10 Wochenstunden (genaue Stundenzahl nach Vereinbarung)
Zunächst befristet für ein Jahr, mit der Möglichkeit zur Verlängerung
Beschäftigung auf Grundlage des Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetzes
Ihre Aufgaben:
Aufbereitung und Transkription von Feldnotizen sowie Teilnahme an der Auswertung des Datenmaterials
Unterstützung bei Zuarbeit für die Forschung (u.a. Literaturrecherche und -verwaltung)
Unterstützung bei der Durchführung von Veranstaltungen (u.a. in der Planung und praktischen Durchführung von Tagungen und Workshops)
Mithilfe bei der Erstellung wissenschaftl. Publikationen (z.B. Korrektorat, Formatierungsarbeiten) )
Ihr Profil:
Vorteilhaft ist die Vertrautheit mit empirischem Arbeiten
Bereitschaft für flexible Arbeitszeiten
Immatrikulation in einem (bevorzugt sozial- oder medienwissenschaftlichen) Bachelor- oder Master-Studiengang an einer deutschen Hochschule (bevorzugt Uni Siegen)
Interesse an einer Tätigkeit im wissenschaftlichen Umfeld
Strukturiertes Arbeiten, Freude an Teamarbeit, Eigeninitiative und Verantwortungsbewusstsein
The CRC’s main location is at the University of Siegen. Further nodes in our research network are located at universities in Cologne, Hagen, Bochum, Frankfurt/Oder, Bonn, Constance, and Luxembourg. There are also close collaborations with renowned international scholars and research institutions in Chicago, Warwick, Basel, Waltham, and Lviv.
