Jonas Kaiser
Jonas Kaiser is an Associate Researcher at HIIG, Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and DFG Research Fellow. His research is located at the intersection of digital and political communication. Jonas’ research interests are online extremism, public sphere theory, online misinformation, and digital methods.
He is currently working on a book for Oxford University Press on how the far-right in Germany and the United States is (ab)using the internet’s affordances. Jonas earned his PhD (Dr. phil.) at Zeppelin University for his thesis about climate change skepticism in Germany. His work has been published in journals like International Journal of Communication, Communication and the Public or Environmental Communication and has been featured in media outlets like Süddeutsche Zeitung, New York Times or BuzzFeed. He won the best paper award in the Environmental Communication division at ICA 2017. At HIIG he is looking into where and how scientific findings are being shared online.
Journal articles and conference proceedings
Kaiser, J., & Rauchfleisch, A. (2019). Integrating Concepts of Counterpublics into Generalised Public Sphere Frameworks: Contemporary Transformations in Radical Forms. Journal of the European Institute for Communication and Culture. DOI: /10.1080/13183222.2018.1558676 Publication details
Kaiser, J. (2017). Public Spheres of Skepticism: Climate Skeptics’ Online Comments in the German Networked Public Sphere. International Journal of Communication, 11, 1661-1682. Publication details
Kaiser, J., Rauchfleisch, A., & Bourassa, N. (2017). Building Bridges with Breitbart: A Topic Model Analysis of Online Media Coverage During the US Presidential Election 2016. Proceedings of IAMCR 2017. Publication details
Kaiser, J. & Rhomberg, M. (2017). Bridging the Climate Divide? Assessing the IPCC’s Agenda Building Function in German News Media, Climate Blogosphere, and Comment Sections. Proceedings of ICA 2017. Publication details
Kaiser, J. & Puschmann, C. (2017). Alliance of antagonism: Counterpublics and polarization in online climate change communication. Communication and the Public, 1-17. Publication details
Other publications
Kaiser, J. (2018). Catching up with “Neuland”, Predictions for Journalism 2019. NiemanLab. Publication details
Kaiser, J. & Rauchfleisch, A. (2017). YouTubes Algorithmen sorgen dafür, dass AfD-Fans unter sich bleiben. Motherboard Vice. Publication details
Kaiser, J. (2017). Fake News: Der Lackmustest für die politische Öffentlichkeit. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. Publication details
Fecher, B. & Kaiser, J. (2015). Collapsing Ivory Towers? A hyperlink analysis of the German academic blogosphere. The Impact Blog. Publication details
Lectures and presentations
The road to hell is paved with good algorithms: Filter bubbles on YouTube in the United States and in GermanyThe 69th Annual International Communication Association Conference (Session: Algorithms, Blockchain and Data Communication and Technology). International Communications Association (ICA). Hilton Hotel, Washington D.C., U.S.A.: 27.05.2019 Further information
Jonas Kaiser
In the heartland of climate skepticism: A hyperlink network analysis of German climate skeptics and the US right-wingThe 69th Annual International Communication Association Conference (Session: Politics and Partisanship: New Directions in the Politicization of Environmental Issues). International Communications Association (ICA). Hilton Hotel, Washington D.C., U.S.A.: 24.05.2019 Further information
Jonas Kaiser
Algorithmic Discrimination and Algorithmic RadicalizationThe Committee of Inquiry on “Algorithmic Discrimination and Algorithmic Radicalization” at the Thuringian State Parliament (Session: Algorithmic Discrimination and Algorithmic Radicalization). Thüringer Landtag, Erfurt, Germany: 20.05.2019
Jonas Kaiser
Reddit’s up’s and down’s. Understanding the logic behind successful participative science communication on RedditJahrestagung der DGPuK-Fachgruppe Wissenschaftskommunikation (Session: Fachgruppe Wissenschaftskommunikation). TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany: 07.02.2019
Jonas Kaiser
The Dark Side of the Public Sphere: Right-Wing Counterpublics in the US ElectionsPolitical Communication in Times of Crisis: New Challenges, Trends & Possibilities. ECREA. Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland: 22.11.2017
Jonas Kaiser, Adrian Rauchfleisch
Politics of Discourse: Fake News Controversy in Germany and how it solidifies in new institutional arrangementsAoIR 2017 Networked Publics (Session: Misinformation, Propaganda and "Fake News": A European Perspective). Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR). University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia: 19.10.2017
Kirsten Gollatz, Jonas Kaiser, Cornelius Puschmann
The Dark Side of the Public Sphere: Right-Wing Counterpublics in the US ElectionsAoIR 2017. University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia: 19.10.2017
Jonas Kaiser, Adrian Rauchfleisch, Nikki Bourassa
The Right-Wing Web: Online counterpublics, dissent, and the case of the US electionMALfunction #5: Dissent. University of Colorado, Boulder, USA: 03.07.2017
Kaiser, J.
Bots and Users67th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA). San Diego, San Diego, USA: 28.05.2017
Jonas Kaiser
Assessing the IPCC’s Agenda Building Function in German News Media, Climate Blogosphere, and Comment Sections67th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA). San Diego, San Diego, USA: 26.05.2017
Jonas Kaiser, Markus Rhomberg
Media appearances
How a change to YouTube’s AI could make the site even more addictive (30.10.2019). Telegraph UK
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YouTube's algorithm may not be radicalizing people, it's just made it easier for people with far-right views to find a community, a new study suggests (24.10.2019). Business Insider
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Noch mehr Filterblasen bei YouTube? (02.10.2019). Technology Review
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The Weekly Episode 9: ‘The Rabbit Hole’ (09.08.2019). The New York Times
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YouTube hat ein Pädophilie-Problem (05.06.2019). SPIEGEL ONLINE
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On YouTube’s Digital Playground, an Open Gate for Pedophiles (04.06.2019). The New York Times
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Deep-Fakes: Fälschungen mittels Künstlicher Intelligenz (30.04.2019). Deutschlandfunk
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Werden die Plattformen endlich erwachsen? (16.02.2019). Deutschlandfunk Kultur
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Mit jedem Klick weiter nach rechts (13.11.2018). taz
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Unter Beobachtung - Soziale Medien im US-Wahlkampf (24.10.2018). Tiroler Tageszeitung
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German Alt-Right Loves This Fake ‘Refugee Crime’ Map (27.02.2017). Daily Beast
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Algorithmen und Bots - die neuen Meinungsmacher? (13.07.2017). MDR
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The rise of the German alt-right (20.09.2017). EUObserver
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Youtube schottet rechte Nutzer von anderen Meinungen ab (11.10.2017). Süddeutsche Zeitzung
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Wie Youtube eine Filterblase für Rechte schafft (25.10.2017). Weser Kurier
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