Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society #WJDS: First issue 2026 published!

Research papers: Will News Find Them With Generative AI? (Reiss et al.), Untangling the Future of Diamond Access (Beigel), Coworking Spaces and Alienation (Capitani et al.), Between Policy and Market (Zhou).

Voices papers: Subcontracting Practices in Germany's location based platforms (Özkiziltan Wagenführer/Feuerstein), Challenging the Myth of AI Autonomy (Rani/Williams).

🙏📚 Read: https://t1p.de/ep3rr

#research

📢 WJDS Special Issue: "Well-Being in the Digital World" is out now.

Five interdisciplinary papers explore how digital technologies affect user well-being, covering dark patterns, online mental health support, eudaimonic virtues, technostress, and digital disconnection. Open access to all papers here:

➡️ https://ojs.weizenbaum-institut.de/index.php/wjds/issue/view/5_3

via Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society #wjds #openaccess
#wellbeing #MentalHealth #HumanTechInteraction #research #socialscience #psychology #computerscience

💳 Pay cashless, but do you know who accesses your payment data?

Marek Jessen maps Europe’s payment chain, showing privacy risks, data monetization, and law enforcement tensions. Alternatives like Wero & the digital euro could increase transparency and reduce risks.

🔗 Full paper: https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.4.4

via Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society #WJDS #OpenAccess #DigitalPayments #Privacy #FinTech #DataGovernance #DigitalEuro #law #computerscience #research #digitalization
@zevedi

Can digital signatures stop misinformation?

A new #WJDS paper by @xot argues they can’t: Digital authenticity alone doesn’t guarantee truth, there are major practical barriers, and potential negative side effects.

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.34669/WI.WJDS/5.4.3

#Misinformation #DigitalTrust #Research #HCI #DataEthics #computerscience #socialscience #openaccess

How can OER strengthen European university alliances?

A new paper, "Beyond Open Access" by @sandra_schoen & Martin Ebner highlights how open resources provide legal clarity across borders, support sustainable reuse, and enhance digital sovereignty—key elements for collaborations like Unite!.

➡️ https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.4.2

#OpenAccess via Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society #WJDS

#OER #HigherEducation #Copyright #OpenEducation #DigitalSovereignty #Sustainability #Research

🚀 How is Generative AI reshaping knowledge work?
A new #WJDS paper explores its impact in IT programming, science, and coaching. Interviews + survey show AI augments human expertise but also raises risks like “good-enough” automation & hollowed-out professions.

📖 Read more: https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.4.1

#OpenAccess via Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society
#GenerativeAI #STS #SociologyOfWork #DigitalWork #AIResearch #research #Knowledge #FutureOfWork #TechPolicy #socialsciences #sociology

New #WJDS paper: Julian M Jörs & Ernesto W De Luca introduce the Eudaimonic Interaction Inventory (EII), a new tool to measure how technology supports deeper well-being.

Validated across three studies, this 12-item scale captures four core aspects of eudaimonic well-being, helping advance research by quantifying meaningful, flourishing-oriented tech interactions.

🔗 https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.3.4

#Eudaimonia #EudaimonicWellBeing #UXResearch #DigitalWellBeing #TechForGood #Research #OpenAccess

New #WJDS paper by Jun Ho Jeong & Hyung Je Jo finds that in Korean manufacturing, AI adoption leads to job and wage growth, while robotics often reduces both. Korea’s focus on cutting labor costs causes “so-so automation” with limited productivity gains.

📖 https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.2.5

#AI #Robotics #Automation #Korea #FutureOfWork #labor #work #research #sociology #economics #socialscience

🚨 How has automation in the auto industry evolved—and how does it affect productivity and labor? A new #WJDS paper by Ulrich Jürgens @WZB_Berlin compares Ford, Toyota & VW.

It shows that outcomes depend not just on #technology but also on outsourcing & customization:

"Organizational and institutional dynamics remain key to how technological change unfolds in practice."

➡️ https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.2.4

#research #socialscience #economy #sociology #labor #automation #work #openaccess

How can we ensure democratic oversight of intelligence agencies – especially when it comes to hacking operations?

In his new #wjds paper, André Ramiro compares the legal and institutional frameworks in Germany and Brazil to examine how democratic societies can regulate intelligence services that operate under high secrecy and evolving surveillance practices.

#CyberSecurity #Democracy #Surveillance #Hacking #Transparency #PublicPolicy #ComparativeLaw #civilrights #research #law @claraigk