Special Issue „Agency in a Datafied Society“ Published Under the Editorship of the IfK

(07.08.2024) In times of advancing digitalisation and datafication, a data-based construction of reality is becoming increasingly important. As a result, the possibilities for human action are constantly evolving. A special issue on “Agency in a Datafied Society” has now been published in the journal Convergence, edited by Dr. Stephan O. Görland (Department of Communication Münster) and Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp (Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research Bremen).

In today's data-driven society, new forms of machine behavior are constantly becoming ubiquitous components of everyday life. The special issue “Agency in a Datafied Society” is dedicated to examining agency in such an increasingly data-driven society. The articles in the special issue discuss how human behavior is influenced by digital media and their infrastructures and what new forms of machine agency are emerging as a result. The issue brings together theoretical and empirical articles that aim to systematically categorize and question the various applications of the concept of agency in a data-driven context.

The articles cover a wide range of phenomena, including self-service checkouts in supermarkets, intelligent personal assistants, social media and influencers, video advertising for personal assistants, interaction with Google Maps, the institutionalization of machine agency and the rights of subjects in data protection. This variety of topics enables a comprehensive reflection on the significance of agency in a mediatized society and provides important impulses for the further development of conceptual approaches.

Further information and access to the issue can be found on the website of the journal Convergence (Sage).

Contact person public relations:
Dr. Stephan Völlmicke
Telefon: +49 251 83-23006
Telefax: +49 251 83-21310 (Geschäftszimmer IfK)