GRK 1712: Trust and Communication in a Digitised World

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The Research Training Group examines how trust can be developed and maintained against the backdrop of the contexts of new forms of communication. Trust is regarded as a state, process and relationship between the subjects and objects of trust. Digitised means of communication change the structure and sustainability of trust because, firstly, familiar face-to-face communication is replaced by digitised interactions, secondly, virtual social and office networks emerge and, finally, because new forms of relationships between the public, organisations and individuals develop. The Research Training Group analyses the consequences of these processes for the establishment of trust relationships by the example of four prototypical areas: media, economy, science and sports. On the basis of specific trust problems identified for these fields of research, the doctoral researchers investigate questions of trust at three analytical levels: individuals, organisations and the public sphere. In order to examine the concepts of trust and communication in the overlapping research areas and dimensions, scholars from the field of communication studies, economics, information systems, psychology and sports science cooperate within the framework of the interdisciplinary research programme. Using several social science methods (such as experiment, interview, content analysis, observation, artifact design) the Research Training Group thereby studies individual, organisational and social trust-building processes. Besides generating empirical results, the aim of the Research Training Group is to offer new methodological insights (e.g., development of new scales, testing of research designs, etc.) and to provide a theoretical foundation for the disparate field of trust research. Taking into account the interdisciplinary approach of the postgraduate course, each dissertation project is supervised by a team of at least two researchers from the cooperating disciplines. The study programme intends to convey a common fundamental theoretical and methodological understanding. Furthermore, seminars, workshops and conferences prepare the junior researchers for teaching and research. Each doctoral researcher is also allocated an international mentor.