For young people, social media platforms have become a primary arena for information exchange and opinion formation. Through digital platforms, social media trends can spread within hours, exerting significant influence—particularly on younger audiences—often without a full understanding of the underlying dynamics and consequences.

This course aims to bridge the gap between observable social media phenomena and scientific explanations. It focuses on connecting empirical research with digital realities, enabling students to better understand rapidly evolving environments such as social media and to communicate these insights effectively to the general public.

Students will critically analyze how social media shapes cognition and behavior and will learn to translate scientific findings into accessible, high-quality public communication. The course culminates in a real-world output: a professionally produced podcast episode recorded in the university studio, designed to inform a broad audience about a current social media phenomenon. Through this project, students actively contribute to a deeper public understanding of contemporary social media dynamics and promote a more critical and reflective use of digital technologies. 

Conceptual Knowledge

• Explain key psychological mechanisms in digital information processing (e.g., heuristics, biases, emotional contagion)
• Critically assess the societal impact of social media (benefits, risks, ethical concerns)
• Understand effective science communication in the digital age 

Analytical Skills

• Evaluate social media phenomena using scientific literature
• Distinguish between high-quality evidence and misinformation
• Translate complex research into audience-appropriate narratives 

Practical Skills

• Design and produce an engaging podcast episode
• Apply storytelling and framing techniques for public communication
• Use audio production tools and studio equipment effectively  

Participation in all sessions is mandatory. If you are not attending the first lecture, we are assuming you are not interested any more in participation. Beyond the first lecture, you may miss up to max. 20% of lecture hours, but please note that content is build-up in a modular way. Thus, absences should be minimized to ensure your optimal learning outcomes.

• Self-study (reading of scientific articles and own researches of articles, blogs, and videos to prepare group project topic)
• Lectures and in-class discussions on theoretical and practical foundations
• Team presentation of group project

Your grade will be the sum of the following components (max. 100 points)

• Group project: 50 pts
• Assignment 1: 20 pts
• Assignment 2: 20 pts
• Participation in class: 10 pts

Participation in class and the assignments are graded at the individual level, while the group project is graded at the group level.

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