Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing
I2SC advances critical research on questions at the intersection of society and technology, encompassing both: computing of society, and computing for society.
At: @uni-saarland.de
Chair: @ingmarweber.de
- 🚨 Join us for the next edition Summer School for Women* in Political Methodology in Mannheim 🚨 7 days of hands-on advanced methods + networking for PhDs, postdocs & early-career researchers. Free of charge (limited travel support). Deadline 1 March 2026: summerschoolwpm.org #methodsky #polisky
- #BowlingAlone documented a quiet shift from collective to solitary practices. In Bowling with ChatGPT ( #TheWebConference2026), we study whether a similar shift is unfolding in interactions with conversational AI. arxiv link: arxiv.org/abs/2602.01114
- A quick summary of the first #ActEU policy brief:
- New paper 🎉 in Oxford Open Climate Change together with Daniele Conversi, @lorenzoposocco.bsky.social @wenjiening.bsky.social and Joan Enguer We look at how nationalism shapes climate action — sometimes enabling it, often constraining it. doi.org/10.1093/oxfc... #Research #PoliticalScience #Climate
- Coming soon: Activating European Citizens’ Trust in Times of Crisis and Polarization This #PoliSci book will explore how trust and legitimacy shape Europe’s representative democracies, introducing the #ActEU framework to assess democratic change and polarization.
- 🌍 Are you new to #icwsm or @journalqd.bsky.social and based in a low- or middle-income country? 🚨 There are only 10 days left to apply to ICWSM/JQD Global Initiative! 🚀 Apply by Jan 15: www.icwsm.org/2026/submit....
- New deadline is Jan 23. If you're based in a low- or middle-income country and work on computational social science, particularly using online data, please consider applying.
- 🌍 Are you new to #icwsm or @journalqd.bsky.social and based in a low- or middle-income country? 🚨 There are only 10 days left to apply to ICWSM/JQD Global Initiative! 🚀 Apply by Jan 15: www.icwsm.org/2026/submit....
- We're #hiring: This time we're looking for a project lead assistant for our large-scale #compsocsci project SOUNDS!
- New Publication out! 🔥 Italy’s right-wing politics has changed dramatically over the past two decades. With @gippone.bsky.social and @leonardo-puleo.bsky.social we started from a basic question: Why has the radical right surged inside Italy’s right coalition? Radicalisation or something different?
- 🎶“The relationship between voters and parties is a complicated dance, with high potential for misalignment” 🎶 Find out more in this #ActEU blog post 👉 www.foederalist.eu/2025/12/acte... ✍️ @alexhartland.bsky.social, Daniela Braun, Giuseppe Carteny, @rosanavarrete.bsky.social & @annreinl.bsky.social
- Jordan D. Klein & Ingmar Weber published a Letter to the Editor in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that opens a conversation on the findings of Chi et al (Measuring global migration flows using online data). demogr.mpg.de/go/PNAS-Letter-Editor
- European parties often miss what voters actually care about. New #ActEU research shows clear gaps between party platforms and voter priorities with consequences for trust and political stability. Read more in our latest #PoliSci blogpost:
- 2026 tutorial submissions are open! ✔️ Submission deadline: February 2nd, 2026 ✔️Acceptance Notification: February 16th, 2026 View the guidelines here: lnkd.in/eBHVe2tP
- 2026 abstract submissions are open! ✔️ Submission deadline: March 3rd, 2026 ✔️ Acceptance Notification: April 14th, 2026 View the guidelines here: lnkd.in/eJEXvd8u
- Are you an international researcher interested in ethical AI in education? Good news — Prof. Nagashima is hiring another Postdoc (as a Humboldt Fellow) to LaLa Lab! 🎤 Read his interview to see what he looks for in candidates: sic.link/lalalab 📄 Application requirements: sic.link/fellowship
- Join us in january for a #PoliSci talk by Dr Anne Jadot: "What drives French voters to the polls?"
- I’m pleased to share that our paper, "A Global Dataset of Location Data Integrity Assessed Reforestation Efforts," has been published in Nature Scientific Data! Read the paper in Scientific Data: lnkd.in/eGrffFqB Access the dataset on Harvard Dataverse: lnkd.in/e63mv__Y
- Missed the #TEDxSaarbridge talks by our Interdisciplinary Institute for Societal Computing? Good news, you can find their recordings now! 👀 🎥 #societalcomputing #sciencecommunications
- The recordings for TEDx Saarbrigge organized on June 14, 2025, are now available. Details: www.i2sc.net/events/past-... @i2sc.net @dock11saarland.bsky.social @algoright.bsky.social @uni-saarland.de @saarland-informatics-campus.de @dfki.bsky.social @ingmarweber.de @kevinbaum.bsky.social
- New Research out 📢 In "Citizens' trust in Constitutional Courts: Evidence from Spain" at @epsrjournal.bsky.social Pablo Castillo-Ortiz and I provide an input of empirical evidence into theoretical debates on the design of Constitutional Courts. Check it here: doi.org/10.1017/S175...
- Another day, another job ad: We're also looking for a student assistant for a new project at our chair! #hiring
- The recordings for TEDx Saarbrigge organized on June 14, 2025, are now available. Details: www.i2sc.net/events/past-... @i2sc.net @dock11saarland.bsky.social @algoright.bsky.social @uni-saarland.de @saarland-informatics-campus.de @dfki.bsky.social @ingmarweber.de @kevinbaum.bsky.social
- A call for common good democracy - @christian-felber.bsky.social How do we measure what truly matters? Christian Felber calls for a shift from GDP-driven policies to a “Common Good Democracy,” where citizens hold real sovereign rights and societal well-being is central.
- Belonging & Belief: The Identity Paradox in Misinformation - Carolin-Theresa Ziemer Why do we believe misinformation, even when facts are clear? Belonging often outweighs truth—but our identities can also help us resist. Three strategies for resilience: inoculation, empathy, and identity building.
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View full threadKrieg und Frieden. Und Künstliche Intelligenz. Wie wir trotz und mit Technologien demokratischen Frieden sichern - @lajlafetic.bsky.social Lajla Fetic zeigt, warum wir Verantwortung übernehmen müssen, um technologische Entwicklungen aktiv und demokratisch zu gestalten.
- Job ad: The city of Saarbrücken is currently searching for applicants familiar with the field of #InternationalRelations. Find out more:
- And another job ad: We're looking for four student assistants! #hiring
- Our new #PoliSci study shows how randomized response techniques can reveal hard-to-measure lobbying influence inside German parliaments. A cautious but promising step toward studying sensitive political behavior more directly. Learn more:
- We are looking for a teamlead for our large-scale project SOUNDS! #compsocsci #PoliSky #PoliSci #hiring #JobAlert
- Watch our latest #PoliSci talk at TEDx "Wie bekommen wir mehr Bevölkerung in die Politik?" (in German) where Prof Braun discusses declining voter turnout, growing polarisation and loss of trust as well as potential solutions.
- This year we hosted the German #PoliSci Association's annual conference. Read up on some of the results in our newest publication: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
- Digital technologies reshape politics & religion alike — but how do European politicians reference religion online? Our #PoliSci study together with @davidschweizer.bsky.social & Eva-Maria Euchner examines EP candidates’ X (Twitter) profiles in 🇩🇪🇸🇪🇳🇱🇬🇧. Read more:
- Was #climate policy central in the 2024 European election campaign – and how divided were parties along left-right lines? Find out in our #PoliSci study by Daniela Braun, Djamila Jabra & @janpollex.bsky.social:
- The SICSS Saarbrücken 2025 has officially come to an end. We are grateful to all participants and speakers who made this event such a success, and we look forward to seeing how the conversations and collaborations will continue beyond these two weeks! @uni-saarland.de @i2sc.net @ingmarweber.de
- On the final day of SICSS Saarbrücken, participants presented the outcomes of their group projects, showcasing impressive creativity, dedication, and teamwork. The five projects explored diverse questions in Computational Social Science.
- We concluded the day with a warm Farewell Event at Ausländer Café, where participants and organisers reflected on an inspiring two weeks of learning, collaboration, and exchange.
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View full threadTo know more about what we learnt over these two weeks, check out our GitHub repository with all the materials: github.com/Societal-Com...
- Day 9 of SICSS Saarbrücken was packed with energy and progress as participants dove deeper into their group projects. The groups presented updates on their work, pitching new insights and demonstrating how much they had accomplished in such a short period.
- Later in the afternoon, a keynote by @ingmarweber.de (@i2sc.net @uni-saarland.de) on “𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒: 𝑆𝑒𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑆𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠.” He discussed how satellite imagery can be used to understand social phenomena, from urban development to population dynamics.
- We compared #EU issues' salience in the 2019 & 2024 EP elections and found out: Mainstream parties turned more negative on EU policies, while Eurosceptics became somewhat less negative on the EU polity. Read more in our #PoliSci publication: oaj.fupress.net/index.php/qo...
- 🤝 Political trust is fundamental for representative democracy 👉 but what makes a government legitimate? And why does legitimacy matter? Find out in our latest #TEPSAexplainer with #ActEU Daniela Braun 🔗 youtu.be/r_8oudinAtk @uni-saarland.de @politicsunisaar.bsky.social
- By day seven of SICSS Saarbrücken, participants were in 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲, diving deep into their collaborative work, even missing coffee breaks. They also presented their initial research questions along with their plans for data collection and analysis.
- In the afternoon, we welcomed @kevinbaum.bsky.social (@dfki.bsky.social) for his keynote: "Ethical Reasoning in the Dark: How to Make Justifiable Decisions When You Don't Know What's Right."
- His provocative talk brought to light some of the biggest 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜, sparking reflection and debate on how researchers can responsibly navigate moral uncertainty and highlighting the need for interdisciplinary research.
- On the 6th day of SICSS Saarbrücken, Daniela Braun (@uni-saarland.de) and @rosanavarrete.bsky.social (@uam.es) presented on “𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦: 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑦? 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 (𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ)?” @politicsunisaar.bsky.social @o3pol.bsky.social
- Their lecture was followed by @giucarny.bsky.social and @alexhartland.bsky.social, who continued the discussion by presenting further perspectives and examples on assessing polarization and analyzing the sentiment and topics of political posts.
- We closed our Monday with a thought-provoking keynote by @ridhikashyap.bsky.social (@ox.ac.uk) on “𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝐷𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.” Her talk highlighted key challenges and opportunities for research at the intersection of gender, demography, and digital data.
- With this, we concluded the lecture and hands-on session part of SICSS 2025. The rest of the week, participants will dive into group projects, applying the techniques and methods learned so far to their own research questions. You can find the materials here: github.com/Societal-Com...
- Always a pleasure to attend the Heidelberg Laureate Forum #HLF @hlforum.bsky.social & meet smart people. Catch me today (Tue) if you'd like to learn about our work at @i2sc.net. And be sure talk to Manon if you'd like to learn about her work about better AI safety evaluations.
- We are looking for a project manager for our large-scale project SOUNDS! Learn more: bit.ly/SOUNDS-Manager #compsocsci #PoliSky #PoliSci #hiring #JobAlert
- How do different types of regional organizations react to current challenges and crises? Find out in our #PoliSci publication together with @lisa-h-anders.bsky.social & Alexander Libman which explores this question by bringing together contributions from EU studies and comparative regionalism.
- On Saturday, SICSS-Saarbrücken participants took a step away from lectures and hands-on sessions to explore the rich industrial heritage of the region.
- They visited the Völklinger Hütte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that stands as a remarkable testament to Europe’s industrial past. Participants had the chance to walk through the massive ironworks, reflect on the history, technology, and society, and enjoy engaging outside the classroom.
- In the evening, they gathered for a celebratory dinner. Just the perfect way to close an intense and inspiring first week of SICSS-Saarbrücken.
- On the fifth day of SICSS Saarbrücken, participants attended a lecture by @blurky.bsky.social (@oii.ox.ac.uk) on “𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑣𝑎𝑠 – 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑓-𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑦𝑠.” The lecture introduced key concepts of network analysis, illustrated with insightful examples.
- In the afternoon, Bernie, one of the co-creators of Network Canvas, led a hands-on session. Participants had the opportunity to explore the Network Canvas platform, learn how to set up their own data collection, and understand the process from the participants’ perspective.
- In the afternoon session, participants gained practical experience exploring network data with the visualisation tool Gephi and setting up analysis pipelines with the NetworkX library in Python.
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View full thread… But the week is not over yet!✨ Tomorrow, the participants will explore the Völklinger Hütte, followed by a dinner to celebrate the successful end of the first week of SICSS-Saarbrücken!🎉
- On the fourth day of SICSS Saarbrücken, Abhisek Dash (MPI-SWS) presented on "𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑠 : 𝐴 𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑘𝑦".
- He discussed the challenges in content moderation, both in centralized and decentralized platforms, with a focus on Bluesky. The talk ended with a fruitful discussion about how we can use these platforms as open marketplaces and take advantage of open data to shape future regulations.
- The lecture was followed by a hands-on activity where Abhisek Dash and @pushpdeep.bsky.social (MPI-SWS) guided the participants through the challenges of validating labels of content posted on Bluesky.
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View full threadHis keynote sparked deep reflections on the shocks to democracy from governments adopting AI and encouraged participants to take an interdisciplinary approach that brings different stakeholders together.
- On the third day of SICSS Saarbrücken, we had the pleasure of learning from @ezagheni.bsky.social (@mpidr.bsky.social), who shared his expertise on “𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎”.
- The session explored crucial topics for handling biases when working with digital trace data, such as how to identify trends over time and filter out biases.
- Emilio also discussed the challenges of surveys and non-representative samples, as well as techniques for calibration and weighting to make digital trace data more reliable. It was certainly a very engaging lecture with many practical examples.
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View full threadAll the materials for the summer school are available on our GitHub: github.com/Societal-Com...
