welcome
Hi there, happy to see you.
On my homepage you will find the latest information on my research and communication activities.
I am currently working as a Senior Research and Teaching Associate at University of Zurich at the Institute for Communication Studies and Media Research at the Departement of Science, Crisis and Risk Communication with Prof. Dr. Mike S. Schäfer.
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My research interests
Health communication
Science communication
Media effects research
Digital transformation of information search and knowledge generation
Media education in the context of digitalization with a focus on: digital transformation of information search and knowledge generation
Debunking of science- and health-related disinformation / Fake News
Search, selection and reception processes of users on the internet
Empirical methods (standardized and qualitative content analysis and surveys, eye tracking)
My expertise in methods
Standardized/quantitative & qualitative interviews (face to face, written and online)
Eye-tracking of online research, selection and reception behaviour
Standardized/quantitative & qualitative content analysis of online, TV, and print content
Automated text analysis via Wordstat with QDA-Miner (quantitative content analysis & text mining)
Client-side log file analyses, webscraping of social media data & network analysis on Twitter
My current research projects
“The Effect of Disinformation on Opinion Formation: Experimental Analyses of the Effect and Role of Different Influencing Factors in a Multi-Method Design”
Especially in times of crisis, disinformation flourishes on social media, and this can have negative effects on not only individuals but also society as a whole. The aim of this project is to investigate the effect of disinformation on social media on opinion formation and explore influencing factors. The particular focus of the project is on the role of repeated exposure to disinformation, the frequency of use of social media platforms, trust in social institutions, the use of warning labels in social media posts and individual online search processes in checking disinformation.
Funding: Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia
Project lead: Sabrina H. Kessler
“SciComm meets Comedy“
Das Projekt vermittelt auf unterhaltsame Weise Themen der digitalen Transformation. Eine Comedyshow, beworben über verschiedene Websites, Social Media und ein Live-Event, steht im Fokus. Die Show und die begleitende Kommunikation werden auf ihre Wirkung und Resonanz überprüft.
Finanzierung: Digitalisierungsinitiative Zürcher Hochschulen (DIZH)
Projektleitung: Aleksandra Gnach & Sabrina Heike Kessler
“Science vs Activism? Exploring the Boundary”
The science/activism dualism has so far been insufficiently investigated from a transdisciplinary perspective in the Swiss context. Our project therefore aims to explore, reflect and discuss this connection between science and activism theoretically and empirically, from a transdisciplinary perspective. Ultimately, this project provides the space for an examination of our members’ own practices as scholars and as representatives of the SYA. If the dualism between “science” and “activism” remains unexamined, various unresolved issues emerge in transdisciplinary collaborations. They include conflicting conceptions of what science is/does and pose conflicts for scientists when they engage in debates beyond academia.
Finanzierung: Swiss Young Academy
Projektgruppe: Sabrina Heike Kessler (Project lead), Stefanie Boulila (co-speaker), Sofie Behluli, Stefan Schlegel, Clara Zemp
AI in Science and Society
Exploring the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across diverse sectors and disciplines, from education to healthcare, and its ethical implications, this project aims to contribute to SYA's understanding and approach towards AI's evolving role. The planned activities encompass interviews, stakeholder consultations, and open workshops, all designed to delve into the complex impact of AI on societal and scientific domains.
Funding: Swiss Young Academy
Project team: Emmanuel Senft, Alexandre Bovet, Sabrina Heike Kessler
Database of Variables for Content Analysis - DOCA
The open access database compiles, systematizes and evaluates relevant content-analytical variables of communication and political science research areas and topics. The database offers a starting point for the operationalization of content-analytical questions and thus, provides a basis for standardization (where possible and useful) and also comparability of content analytic studies. Furthermore, the database aims to contribute to equal opportunities between all researchers in this field by providing free access to important resources. Operationalizations were selected that were timely, relevant (indicator: citation frequency, expert opinion), accessible, and/or reported quality indicators (reliability). Doca uses editorial and peer review.
Funding: Fellow-Programm Freies Wissen, Graduate Campus at UZH, Departement of Communication and Media Research
Project team: Franziska Oehmer (Project lead), Sabrina H. Kessler, Edda Humprecht, Katharina Sommer, Laia Castro Herrero
My past research projects
“Disinformation on COVID-19 vaccination on YouTube: An analysis of content, impact, and subsequent verification processes via online search" funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Communication”
This project investigates dis- and misinformation on YouTube and connects both the producer and the recipient side via an innovative multi-method design. In a first step, the most frequently shared YouTube videos on social media that contain false or misleading information will be identified. These videos will be content-analysed and a typology will be created. In the second part of the project, prototype videos will be presented to respondents in order to record the effects of reception on opinion, knowledge and vaccination intention. By means of an eye-tracking experiment, it will also be investigated how the respondents proceed in their search for information online when they want to check received disinformation.
Funding: Federal Office of Communications
Project lead together with Edda Humprecht
“What can we learn from COVID-19 fake news about the spread of scientific misinformation in general?”
Objectives of the project are the investigation of (1) fake news the Swiss population believes in, where they obtained it from, and how it can be typified; (2) what we can learn from including different stakeholders in the analysis and interpretation of survey data; and (3) what can we learn about the spread of scientific misinformation in general. For the analysis, the project will rely on traditional quantitative and qualitative survey analysis, as well as on “citizen science” in the form of co-creation workshops.
Funding: Swiss Young Academy
Project team: Sabrina H. Kessler (Project lead), Servan Grüninger, Anna Jobin, Fanny Georgi
Representation of women in Swiss media
The project will examine gender representations in Swiss news media. The focus is on questions about the extent to which women are represented in the media in each case, in which thematic contexts, stereotypes and roles they become visible and to what extent they are central actors in media reports. The data obtained makes it possible to sensitise the Swiss public to the problem and to provide impulses for media policy. An underrepresentation and reduction to certain roles of women indicates a lack of gender equality and influences how people perceive social conditions and which ideas they develop regarding gender roles. There is hardly any data available on this for Switzerland so far. There are initial indications that there was regression in the Corona Year 2020 with regard to the representation of experts. The project addresses this research gap and examines the reporting by means of a content analysis. In order to be able to draw on scientific evidence in the anniversary year, data on the media representation of women from the years 2019 & 2020 is needed.
Funding: Alliance F/ Mercator Foundation Switzerland, Migros Culture Percentage, NZZ, Post CH AG, SRG SSR, Departement of Communication and Media Research, fög – Forschungszentrum Öffentlichkeit und Gesellschaft / University of Zurich
Project team: Silke Fürst, Sabrina Heike Kessler, Edda Humprecht, Corinne Schweizer, Lisa Schwaiger, Daniel Vogler, Maude Rivière
“Challenging Inequalities and Precarious Working Conditions in Swiss Academic Institutions”
This project aims to address and combat structural inequalities in Swiss universities by creating different spaces where institutional politics can be debated and where particularly marginalized ECRs can build skills that help them with career progression.
Founding: Swiss Young Academy
Project team: Gustavo Ruiz Buendía (Project lead), Boulila Stefanie, Bovet Alexandre, Cuero Estefania, Eeftens Marloes, Georgi Fanny, I'Anson Price Robbie, Jobin Anna, Kessler Sabrina H., Mueller Lucas
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