Open Password – Monday, October 4, 2021
#981
University of Hildesheim – Information behavior – Scientific information – Corona – Information avoidance – Conspiracy theorists – Hate preachers – Vulnerable target groups – InFoCoP – Franziska Schmidt – Daphné Çetta – Thomas Mandl – Petra Sandhagen – Familiarity with the media – Stefan Driesiebner – Disinformation – Elena Link – Janine Brill – Claudia Frick – Citizen Science – Open Science – Katharina Christ – Tim Majchrzak – Twitter – Interdisciplinarity – Lidiia Meinyk – Christiane Zehrer – Vince Liégeois – Jolien Mathysen – Ministry of Science and Culture Lower Saxony – Future discourses – Government formation – Bitkom – Inforadio – Digitalization – Modernization push – FDP – Greens – Digital divide – German Aging Survey – German Center for Aging Issues – Digital Justice – Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth – PATON Academy – Patent seminars
I
Cover story
University of Hildesheim: Information behavior and the communication
of scientific information during the Corona crisis – Between the necessary search for information and information avoidance due to overload – Partial focus of conspiracy theorists and hate preachers on the pandemic and vulnerable target groups
Digital association Bitkom expects modernization boost from new government
III.
German Aging Survey: “Digital divide” also within seniors
PATON Academy: The seminars in October
University of Hildesheim:
Information behavior and the communication
of scientific information during the Corona crisis
Between the necessary search for information
and the avoidance of information due to overload
Partial focus of conspiracy theorists and hate preachers
on the pandemic and vulnerable target groups
Report on the InFoCoP conference at the University of Hildesheim on July 2, 2021 (online)
By Franziska Schmidt, Daphné Çetta and Thomas Mandl
Even before the COVID-19 crisis, there was a lot of research activity on the provision of information in crises and on health information behavior, and the literature on the topic of information and Corona is already extremely extensive. What is particularly remarkable is the diversity of disciplines that are involved in research in this area and are thus progressively opening up the research field.
At the conference “Interdisciplinary research approaches to science communication and information behavior in the Corona pandemic” (InFoCoP), this body of knowledge was discussed and expanded from different perspectives. The results of the conference will be published in an anthology that will be published by the Hildesheim University Press in 2022.
In the first of four sections, three speakers addressed information behavior and its influencing factors in relation to media use. Petra Sandhagen from the University of Hildesheim opened the lecture series with the question of how media familiarity influences usage. Well-known formats such as the Tagesschau or the local newspaper enjoy a high level of trust and continue to serve as a reliable source of information in times of crisis. What is also interesting is media use in adolescence and the question of which offers online-savvy digital natives will trust in the future.
Stefan Dreisiebner from the Karl-Franzens University of Graz was also able to determine on the basis of a study that, although media was used more frequently during the crisis, there was rarely a shift to sources that had previously been little or not used at all, but rather a recourse to them classical media came. Users were generally satisfied with the information provided, but also emphasized an overload of information and a confrontation with disinformation. Dreisiebner pointed out that respondents received fake news particularly via social media.
Elena Link from the Hannover University of Music, Theater and Media also dealt with the overload of too much information and its consequences . She was particularly concerned with the tension between the necessary search for information and the avoidance of information due to overload. Although the search is actively initiated and perceived positively, health information can also overwhelm those searching, trigger fears and thus cause them to turn away from the media.
Avoidance of information was also discussed in the second block: Janine Brill from the University of Erfurt presented a study that looked at the risk of disillusionment with the topic when intensive reporting occurs. Although the continuous flow of information is necessary in health crises, the omnipresence of the corona crisis can cause people to withdraw and develop a negative attitude. The survey demonstrated that intensive media use can lead to undesirable effects and cause people to avoid media.
Claudia Frick from TH Cologne devoted herself to the other side of science communication and thus the question of how scientists communicate. This communication and its processes, which are anchored within science – including aspects such as paid publications, peer reviews, preprints and inconsistencies in results – have become publicly visible during the Corona pandemic and have led to confusion and uncertainty. Dialogue, including concepts such as citizen and open science, is therefore of great importance.
Katharina Christ from the University of Trier highlighted that uncertainty can also lead to other negative developments in her study on the credibility of conspiracy theories, which are increasing in the Corona crisis. Using YouTube and broadcast videos, she pointed out the visual, auditory and linguistic features used to inspire trust and credibility. This includes, in particular, your own portrayal through your appearance and profession as well as your similarity to classic media.
Tim Majchrzak from the Universitetet i Agder described the danger of misinformation, which he examined in an exploratory study using Twitter data. Misinformation is spread through tweets with false statements and incorrectly used hashtags and can increase user uncertainty, cause fear and even cause important measures to contain the virus not to be followed. It is therefore important to better understand the dynamics of social media and to combat misinformation in an interdisciplinary manner.
The dissatisfaction of many in the Corona crisis is clear in the hate comments that Lidiia Melnyk from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena deals with. Crisis situations trigger strong emotions and the search for a scapegoat. The anonymity of the internet encourages hate speech, much of which has focused on the pandemic and target groups unsettled by COVID-19. These are primarily social and ethnic groups as well as corona deniers and older people.
Christiane Zehrer from Magdeburg-Stendal University dedicated herself to the new form of communication “Corona signs”, which have been found particularly in public institutions and shops since the beginning of the pandemic. These instructions are innovative versions of the official requirements and can be implemented verbally on paper or through markings, warning colors, etc. They are intended to inform people and influence their behavior with a view to containing the corona pandemic.
Vince Liégeois (Université de Bourgogne) and Jolien Mathysen (Universiteit Gent) examined the linguistic peculiarities of institutional information texts in Belgium during the Corona crisis and concluded that the communication of those responsible for dealing with the pandemic with broad sections of the population must be carefully considered. If the situation is presented dramatically, it can lead to frustration and anxiety. However, if the danger posed by the virus is played down, measures may not be taken seriously.
In all lectures, the particular importance of information behavior and science communication for the public debate about the corona pandemic was emphasized and the current and future challenges were highlighted. The topic will be discussed further at another conference in early 2022 and as part of the project blog.
The project “Science communication in the information crisis surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic” (WInCO) is funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture in the “Future Discourses” program. Further information and the blog can be found online: https://www.uni-hildesheim.de/winco/
Formation of government
Digital association Bitkom expects
a modernization boost from the new government
(Inforadio) The digital association Bitkom looks forward to the talks about forming a government with great expectations. The digital economy is looking forward to the meetings with “excitement and hope,” explained Bitkom Managing Director Rohleder on rbb’s Inforadio. There is a huge digitalization construction site in Germany. In some cases, regression rather than progress can be observed – for example in data protection.
“We have more than just a reform backlog in Germany. (…) The extremely developed federal system has ensured that the federal government only has real options for action in very few areas – this applies to the healthcare system, for example. There is indeed “A lot has happened in the last four years. But in many other areas his hands are simply tied; for example in the modernization of administration or in the school sector.”
All parties have recognized that something needs to change. According to Rohleder, expectations are particularly high for the FDP and the Greens – because they are very digitally savvy: “(…) they have a lot of digital in their parties and also in their parliamentary groups in the Bundestag, as they present themselves now Competence gathered. And so we assume that if they agree on this point (…) and if they also ensure majorities within the federal government and in the Bundestag, that we will have a completely different situation in the next four years “We will experience digitalization in Germany.” More at https://www.inforadio.de/programm/schema/versanden/int/202109/30/620610.html
German age survey
“Digital divide” also within seniors
(German Center for Aging Issues) The International Day of Older People has the motto “Digital justice for all age groups”. While younger generations have grown up with the digital world and move about in it as a matter of course, many of today’s older generations only got to know the Internet later in life and quite a few older people do not yet have access to the Internet. This “digital divide” between older and younger people is also reflected in the data from the German Aging Survey for people in the second half of life.
Whether for searching for information, maintaining social contacts, for entertainment and culture or for online shopping – for many people, using Internet offerings is part of their everyday life. But this does not apply equally to all age groups. In 2020, a total of 86.4 percent of people in the second half of life (46-90 years old) have access to the Internet – but there are still big differences between the different age groups.
Older people aged 76 and over have access to the Internet much less often than people between 46 and 75 years of age: while in the youngest group of 46 to 60 year olds almost complete coverage has been achieved and the middle age group (61 to 75 years of age) is not far behind is located far away, almost half of the people in the highest age group still do not have internet access and are therefore unable to benefit from digital opportunities.
Especially in times of the pandemic, it has become clear how helpful digital offerings can be, for example for searching for information or for supplies of everyday items, but also for maintaining contacts. And even outside of the pandemic, digital offerings offer opportunities for participation and communication, especially for people with limited mobility, but also for bridging large living distances between relatives.
The existing gender and educational differences in access to the Internet show that digital justice is not just a question of age. Women and people with less education in particular are less likely to have internet access in old age than men and people with a higher level of education. The “older people” are not a homogeneous group, but the unequal distribution of opportunities for digital participation in the second half of life represents a complex challenge.
It can be assumed that the “digital divide” between generations will decrease in the medium and long term. Nevertheless, the current task is to improve the digital skills and thus the participation opportunities of those older people who do not currently use the Internet. To this end, concepts and models for digital education and participation must be (further) developed that are tailored to the needs and situation of the elders. Low-threshold and local support offers from municipalities, as suggested by the Eighth Age Report, could also make a contribution.
A second aspect is important: If the goal is to enable social participation for all people, the current digital divide, which runs not only along age lines, but also along education and gender, for example, remains important, including analog ones To provide offers for those who do not (yet) have the ability to use digital offers.
Further findings on Internet use in the second half of life can be found in: Kortmann, L., Hagen, C., Endter, C., Riesch, J., & Tesch-Römer, C. (2021) Internet use by people in the second half of life the corona pandemic: Social inequalities remain [DZA Aktuell 05/2021]. Berlin: German Center for Aging Issues.
The German Aging Survey (DEAS) is a representative cross-sectional and longitudinal survey of people in the second half of life. As part of the study, people have been regularly surveyed for more than two decades as they move into older and older age. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ).
Further information at www.alterssurvey.de
PATON Academy
The seminars in October
Ladies and Gentlemen
In accordance with the wishes of our participants, the PATON Academy events will continue to take place as a mixture of online and face-to-face seminars.
The winter semester 2021 starts as usual with the introductory seminar on intellectual property protection on October 5th, 2021. This and the following seminar for advanced users on legal status and surveillance research on October 19th. are offered online. A three-day attendance block with a focus on “Research in free databases (trademarks and patents)” as well as further online seminars on IP management are planned for November.
Basic seminar: Introduction to intellectual property rights, with a focus on patents
The aim of the seminar is to get to know the basic concepts of patent law and patent information and to get an overview of the patent database offering. In the seminar, all types of industrial property rights are presented, the basics of German patent law and patent procedures are conveyed and the structure of patent specifications and the international patent classification are explained.
Speaker: Heike Schwanbeck, PATON
Legal status and monitoring research
This seminar shows the possibilities and limitations for legal status and surveillance searches in free WEB sources and the efficient options for these types of searches in paid patent databases. The interpretation and evaluation of legal and procedural status information on patents and utility models is shown using selected examples.
Speaker: Bettina Töpfer, PATON
Date: October 19, 2021
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m
Online seminar
WEBEX
Requirements:
Basic knowledge of the patent system and patent research
Knowledge and technology transfer between science and industry
The aim of the seminar is to provide an overview of the broad spectrum of knowledge and technology transfer as well as the diverse possibilities for collaboration between science and industry.
Speaker: Dr. Tobias Neumann, Jena University Hospital
Date: October 20, 2021
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m
Online seminar
WEBEX
Inventions are treasures of the future! What are they worth?
The value of patents depends on various factors. There is agreement that it is becoming increasingly important to be able to make a reliable assessment. The aim of the event is to be able to determine the value of patents in the simplest, most comparable and reliable way possible.
Speaker: Wolfgang Müller, Steinbeis GmbH & Co. KG for technology transfer
Date: October 20, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m
Online seminar
WEBEX
Requirements:
Basic knowledge of the patent system
Trademarks – legal basis
This seminar provides an overview of the legal basis for registering and enforcing German national trademarks, European community trademarks and international trademarks.
Speaker: Sabine Milde, PATON
Date: October 27, 2021
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m
Online seminar
WEBEX
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