Thematic research orientation

Our research focus

At present, there is hardly any area of society that has not been shaped or at least influenced by technologies (of various kinds). With the digital networking of technical artifacts on the basis of the Internet, the penetration of society with technologies reaches a new level not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. The way work is organized, relationships are established, media are consumed, knowledge is acquired, the environment and one's own self are perceived or political protests are formed has changed greatly in recent years. The sociology of technology represented here confronts these developments in the form of both fundamental and specific questions. Based on a qualitative empirical approach as well as in the context of theoretical work, our (past and future) research foci are:

• Digitization in work (practices, conflicts, etc.)

• Digitization as work (invisible work of digitization, "ghost work" / fauxtomation, interface work)

• Human-robot interaction / social robotics (theories, methods, empirics)

• Technology and age(s) (lifeworlds of the elderly, use of technology)

• Participation and socially responsible technology design (methods, theory, user participation, practical implementation)