Profile of the Junior Professorship of Sociology with Specialization in Technology
A particular characteristic of technology is that it often appears to us as a closed, running system. We observe and describe inputs and outputs of technical objects, but neglect the origin, the inner workings, the social embedding and the social consequences of (especially digital) technologies. As a result, although we are surrounded by more and more competent technology, it is paradoxically becoming increasingly opaque and confusing.
The team at the Junior Professorship of Sociology with a Focus on Technology is dedicated to opening up this ‘black box’ in research and teaching and analysing the emergence, use and consequences of technology. On the one hand, we deal with fundamental questions, such as the mutual influence of the Internet and society or the demarcation between man and machine. On the other hand, we are interested in the manifestations, causes and consequences of specific current phenomena such as digital labour, social robotics, smart home technologies or the automation of communication through generative AI.
