Background and Learning Objective: 

Digital platforms are the central infrastructures for the generation, aggregation, and processing of usage, interaction, and behavioral data. Whether it’s social media, the sharing economy, corporate systems, or AI tools, these platforms generate, aggregate, and transfer data on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, they are increasingly dissolving the original context in which this data was created. What remains are data representations without clear origins, intentions, or embedding, resulting in a growing risk of misinterpretation, distortion, and misinformation. 

In this research seminar, "Data Contextualization" is positioned as a potential new key competency: How does value emerge from data when it is transferred to new contexts? Where and by whom does contextualization take place, on platforms, within AI systems, or only among users? What tensions arise between data providers and data users? How do we handle AI-generated data whose origin and meaning often remain unclear? 

Students will develop their own research topics within this seminar based on their individual interests. Possible areas include: 

• Societal perspectives (e.g., social media, misinformation, algorithmic biases)
• Economic perspectives (e.g., platform economies, data-driven knowledge generation, process improvements and/or business models)
• or personal application fields (e.g., self-tracking, AI assistance systems)

Students will then conduct 3-5 semi-structured interviews to practically explore qualitative research methods. The goal is to capture real perspectives on context loss, meaning attribution, and value creation through data, and to critically reflect on how digital platforms and/or AI are changing our relationship with data. 

Administrative Details: 

The seminar consists of an individual assessment divided into two parts: 

• Written seminar paper (14 pages of text): ⅔ of the grade
• Oral presentation of the paper (15 min), Q&A, and participation in discussions during other presentations: ⅓ of the grade 

The language of the seminar papers, presentations, and discussions is English. 

The official start date of the seminar is April 15. The seminar will be conducted in a block format and includes a total of six sessions spread throughout the semester. Please refer to the schedule in UniVis for specific dates. 

Application Procedure: 

To apply, please fill out the form below by April 13 at 10 am. Notifications regarding acceptance will be sent on April 13 (afternoon). A binding confirmation of your participation in the seminar is required by April 14 at 12 pm. Otherwise, your spot will be offered to others on the waiting list.