Research

My research focuses on how developers, content creators, and users (co-)create digital platforms and what this entails for contemporary societies and the planet. 

Recently, I have served as the lead editor for the following special issues:

• The communicative dynamics of AI (MedieKultur, 2024)
• Data Reflectivity and User Reflexivity: New Conceptual Pathways for Connecting Structural Approaches with User Perspectives (Convergence, 2024)

Drawing on social science and communication theory, I have mainly written about the multifaceted socio-technical relationship(s) on social media and eHealth platforms. In my latest research, I have studied the utilization of generative AI in Southeast Asia. During my appointment as a guest Associate Professor at the School of Public Policy at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, I co-founded the Network for digital commons, bringing together global and local communities to address crucial questions at the intersection of society and technology.

My research is situated at the intersection of digital communication studies, datafication and platform studies, and sustainability studies. It is guided by the following overarching research questions:

• How do users and developers conceptualize, relate to, and make sense of algorithms and AI in relation to the environmental costs of these technologies? 
• What makes the utilization of digital and intelligent technologies sustainable?
• What social and environmental implications arise for individual users, and how can businesses and organizations be held accountable for their digital carbon footprint?

Prior to my current position, I held a postdoc position at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and worked as a research assistant and postdoc at the IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark). In 2018, I received my doctoral degree in communication and digital media studies from the University of Erfurt (Germany). Prior to this, I received my B.A. and M.A. in communication management from the University of Leipzig (Germany). Beyond that, I am professionally educated as a digital media designer (Germany) and hold a continuing education degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (USA).

Teaching

I have extensive teaching experience in diverse international university settings, where I have taught a variety of courses, spanning from digital communication to philosophy of science. For the course "Communication Design", which took place in collaboration with organizations from the public and private sector, I won the prestigious "Excellent in Teaching" award (IT University, Denmark).

Management and Cooperation

I have gained extensive research management experience from working in collaborative research projects and have further built a valuable network in Europe, Asia and Australia. As the chair of SMiD – the national association for media and communication researchers in Denmark – I have organized and chaired the international conference on “Media (and) Sustainability: Crises, Paradoxes, and Potentials” in 2024. I am further the journal manager of the open-access journal MedieKultur (“media culture”) and an editorial member of Convergence (Sage).