NEW DATE: 04 – 05 March 2021
(Virtual Conference)
About the Conference
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we had to postpone the conference “The Future of Online Discussions” . The new conference date will be 04 – 05th March 2021. The conference will be completely virtual via the online tool Webex. For updates monitor this page and our twitter account (@diid_hhu)
Whether in comment sections of news media, via social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, in online discussion fora or on public consultation platforms: millions of people engage in online discussions every day. Based on extensive research and practical experience, it is well known that the way online discussions take place today exhibits many problems, including balkanization, lack of rational discourse, incivility or a high degree of redundancy.
There have been many proposals by scientific communities how to overcome some of these problems. Those include structuring discussions through argumentation maps, building a web of reusable arguments, automated summaries and additional interaction features such as ratings. Additionally, research has identified factors such as moderation style, platform design or community rules which influence the quality of online discussions. However, those proposals have had only very limited real-world impact, so far. There appears to be a gap between research on online discussions and the practical implementation in real world settings such as news websites, social media outlets or large-scale online consultations. The conference on ‘The Future of Online Discussions’ aims to bridge this gap.
Aim and Focus of the Conference
The key goal of the conference is to bring together researchers and practitioners in order to exchange ideas on how future online discussions should look like and by what means they should be supported. The conference aims to provide a platform where scientists and practitioners are committed to cooperate in order to promote change. The focus will be on both technical and non-technical means by which this can be achieved. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- How should online discussions look like?
- What are the main technical, legal and economic real-world constraints regarding online discussions?
- By what technical and non-technical means can online discussions be improved?
- What can be learned from real-world experiences with trying to improve online discussions?
We envisage that the topic of the conference is particular relevant to practitioners such as platform developers, media outlets or NGOs on the one hand, and scholars of Computer Science and Communication Science on the other hand. Practitioners are asked to give insight in the necessities, constraints and expectations which emerge in the context of their practical experience. We also welcome best case practice and innovations which are used by practitioners in the context of online discussions (e.g. automated word filters, moderation technics, community management etc.). The conference format is going to provide sufficient space for demo sessions and exchange for further collaboration.
Program
We are happy that almost all speakers confirmed their participation again. Please see the latest program for an overview. Please recognize that all scheduled times are German time (UTC+1). We are happy to listen and discuss the following speakers:
- Keynote: Social Media for Societal Outcomes: Reflections on a Global Research Agenda
Alex Leavitt (Senior Researcher at Facebook) (confirmed) - How to design good moderation
Andrew Losowsky (Voxmedia/Coral) (confirmed) - What it Means to be a Good (online) Host – Community and User Engagement at ZEIT ONLINE
Sebastian Horn (dep. Chief Editor ZEIT ONLINE; Project Manager My Country Talks) & Julia Meyer (Head of Community Management ZEIT ONLINE) (confirmed) - RHETORiC – Reducing Hate with Editorial Tools for Online Reactions and Comments
Michiel Nuytemans (Tree Company) & Steven Verlaak (Digital Lead at Mediahuis) (confirmed) - Hate Speech, Law Enforcement and Civil Rights: The Struggle for a Cohesive
Anna-Lena von Hodenberg (Managing Director at HateAid) (confirmed) - A Love-Hate Relationship: How People Feel About Online Discussions
Gina M. Masullo (Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Centre of Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin) (confirmed) - How Civil Society Shapes the Future of Online Discussions – an Overview
Hanna Gleiss & Nadine Brömme (Das NETTZ – Networking Initiative Against Hate Speech) (confirmed) - Towards Crowd-Scale Pareto-Optimal Decision-Making
Mark Klein (Principal Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT) (confirmed) - Argument Technology: Theory, Engineering & Deployment
Chris Reed (Professor for Computer Science & Philosophy at the University of Dundee) (confirmed) - Why One-to-One Online Discussions are the Future of Online Discussions
Sabine Mehnert (Project Manager at Diskutier Mit Mir / Discuss with Me) (confirmed) - A case for Persistency in Online Argumentation
Martin Mauve (Professor for Computer Networks and Communication Systems at the University of Düsseldorf) (confirmed) - Parliaments, Courts, Companies: Who Sets the Rules for Online Discussions (and Who Should)?
Matthias C. Kettemann (Senior Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research / Hans-Bredow-Institut) (confirmed) - Digital Democracy can be Hacked!
Philip Kreißel (Social Media Analyst #ichbinhier) (confirmed)
Poster Session
During the extended lunch break on Friday we are planning to have a virtual poster session. . All poster presenters will introduce the poster shortly before the break. During the break all participants have the chance to visit the different online rooms were poster presenters looking forward to talk about their research. Just click on the Online Room to meet the presenters. To get an impression of the posters click on See the Poster. You can find all Posters and Online Rooms here.
Venue and further Information
The conference is going to take place 4th – 5th March 2021 via the online tool Webex. We will sent details to all registered participants prior to the conference. The conference is jointly organized by the NRW Forschungskolleg Online Participation and the Düsseldorf Institute for Internet and Democracy (DIID) at the University of Düsseldorf. Both institutions have a strong interdisciplinary focus on online participation research. For further questions please contact the head of the organizing committee.
Registration
Registration has been closed.