Chris Liebold
CCS Section Represented at the 71st Annual Conference of the DGPuK in Dortmund
From March 18 to 20, 2026, the 71st Annual Conference of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) took place in Dortmund. The CCS section was also actively represented this year by two members.
Maximilian Zehring attended the conference in his role as representative of early-career researchers (Mittelbau) within the Methods section. During the section meeting, he reported on current topics and the work of the Mittelbau representatives, thereby contributing the perspectives of early-career scholars to the discussion.
Max Schindler presented a paper from his dissertation project on Friday titled “Social Media and the Digital City: A Systematic Review of City- and Citizen-Led Digital Spaces.” In his presentation, he examined the role of social media in the context of digital urban publics and systematized existing research approaches on city- and citizen-driven digital spaces.
In addition, Max Schindler participated on Thursday, together with Miriam Bernhard (TU Ilmenau), in the special session “Hype or Turning Point? How Strongly and How Quickly Is AI Changing Communication Studies?” This format focused on discussing current developments and challenges posed by artificial intelligence for the field of communication studies. Miriam Bernhard and Max Schindler took part as initiators of the Working Group on AI in Communication Studies: https://www.dgpuk.de/de/ausschuesse-und-arbeitsgruppen/arbeitsgruppe-ki-der-kommunikationswissenschaft
Participation in the annual conference offered valuable opportunities for academic exchange, networking, and discussion of current research topics within the discipline.
Citations of the presentations:
Schindler, M. (2026, March 18–20). Social Media and the Digital City: A Systematic Review of City- and Citizen-Led Digital Spaces. [Paper presentation]. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik und Kommunikationswissenschaft 71st Annual Meeting, Dortmund, Germany.
Vowe, G., Breuer, J., Prinzing, M., Bernhard, M., Schindler, M., & Jandura, O. (2026, March 18-20). Hype oder Zäsur? Wie stark und wie schnell verändert KI die Kommunikationswissenschaft? [Sonderfenster]. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik und Kommunikationswissenschaft 71st Annual Meeting, Dortmund, Germany.