Communication at the boundaries of the social world. Towards a theory of the personal addressability of new Interaction Technologies

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The research project makes a substantial contribution to the debate on the boundaries of the social world, which is based both on a Luhmannian approach to communication theory and on empirical investigations. It aims for the development of a theory of the personal addressability of new Interaction Technologies such as robots and conversational agents. For this, first analytical tools based on communication theory will be developed, which allow for empirical investigations at the boundaries of the social world. Second, these tools will be applied in empirical research on human-machine interaction in a museum setting where two robots and an embodied conversational agent serve as museum guides and interact with the visitors. The leading empirical question is, whether the Interaction Technologies become relevant personal addresses during communication processes. Third, systematical comparisons are planned, to elucidate similarities and differences between human-machine interaction in the museum setting and other fields of application like (elderly) care. In the interplay of these three work steps, a theory of the personal addressability of new Interaction Technology will be developed, which will inform about how boundaries in the interface of society and technical entities are drawn, stabilized and/or transformed.