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An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Data Culture and Vocational Training
Get PDFIn this interdisciplinary paper we discuss the intersection of organizational data culture and vocational education and training (VET). Building on a preliminary definition of data culture and an explorative analysis of data-related value propositions in the German VET market, we analyze how VET providers address organizational challenges in the wake of big data and digitization that affect many of today’s organizations, regardless of their traditional industry. We argue that if organizations want to implement a data culture, their employees have to receive appropriate trainings that convey relevant skills and competencies.This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII111, 16DII112, 16DII113, 16DII114, 16DII115, 16DII116, 16DII117 – „Deutsches Internet-Institut“
Digital networks as a techno-legal problem
No full textThe increasing influence of digital networks in all areas of life also means that they change societal values and react to changes in preferences. In his lecture, Herbert Zech discusses how social networks influence the regulatory goals underlying the law. The degree of connection is an important characteristic of particular areas of societal development. Digital networks can be interpreted as technological innovations that are then addressed by the typical technical-legal regulatory tasks. Apart from advancing innovation and enabling technology transfer, this includes limiting and allocating risk. The classic technical-legal model of risk regulation, however, has its limits. The perspective of regulation is not uncontroversial and is challenged by the complexity of potential external effects. An example is the continuously re-negotiated conception of privacy
Digidem Digest - Issue 19 (October 2019)
No full textThe Digidem Digest literature radar was a monthly curated overview of the latest publications with relevance to the research group "Democracy and Digitalization" at the Weizenbaum Institute. Their research focused around the interrelation of digitalization and democratic self-determination, asking how liberal-democratic societies appropriate digital technologies and how democracy is changing within the digital configuration. The present articles and publications were chosen by observation of leading journals within the field - a list can be found at the end of each newsletter
College-aged Users Behavioral Strategies to Reduce Envy on Social Networking Sites: A Cross-cultural Investigation
Get PDFSocial networking sites (SNSs) are central to social interaction and information sharing in the digital age. However, consuming social information on SNSs invites social upward comparisons with highly socially desirable profile representations, which easily elicits envy in users and leads to unfavorable behaviors on SNSs. This in turn can erode the subjective well-being of users and the sustainability of the SNS platform. Therefore, this paper seeks to develop a better theoretical understanding of how users respond to envy on SNSs. We review literature on envy in offline interactions to derive three behavioral strategies to reduce envy, which we then transfer to the SNS context (self-enhancement, gossiping, and discontinuous intention). Further, we propose a research model and examine how culture, specifically individualism-collectivism, affects the relationship between envy on an SNS and the three strategies. We empirically test the variance-based structural equation model through survey data collected of Facebook users from Germany and Hong Kong. Our findings provide first insights into the link between envy on SNSs, related behavioral strategies and the moderating role of individualism for self-enhancement
Professionals as Online Students: Non-academic Satisfaction Drivers
Get PDFAs student populations become more heterogeneous, it is becoming apparent that the traditional and learner-specific predictors of student satisfaction are not the only important variables that predict students’ experience. Using a two-stage data collection process, we examined predictors in a sample of online MBA students over the course of a two-part survey. Regression analysis suggested that perceived control over one’s schedule at work was a significant predictor of distance learning satisfaction and program satisfaction. This suggested that the MBA students’ ability to maintain a work-life balance (which allows for both work and studies) plays a significant role in shaping student satisfaction. Correlations further suggested the higher the expectations of the students about program provisions and feedback, the lower their subsequent distance learning satisfaction scores. The results bring the importance of pre-enrolment program communication (rather than program efforts) as well as inclusion into focus.This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII111, 16DII112, 16DII113, 16DII114, 16DII115, 16DII116, 16DII117 – „Deutsches Internet-Institut“
Inequality Is the Name of the Game: Thoughts on the Emerging Field of Technology, Ethics and Social Justice
Get PDFThis paper argues that the hype around ‘ethics’ as panacea for remedying algorithmic discrimination is a smokescreen for carrying on with business as usual. First, it analyses how the current discourses around digital innovation and algorithmic technologies (including artificial intelligence or AI), newly emerging technology policy and governmental funding patterns as well as global industry developments are currently re-configured around ‘ethical’ considerations. Here, the paper shows how this phenomenon can be broken down into policy approaches and technological approaches. Second, it sets out to provide three pillars for a sociological framework that can help reconceptualize the algorithmic harm and discrimination as an issue of social inequality, rather than ethics. Here, it builds on works on data classification, human agency in design and intersectional inequality. To conclude, the paper suggests three pragmatic steps that should be taken in order to center social justice in technology policy and computer science education.This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII111, 16DII112, 16DII113, 16DII114, 16DII115, 16DII116, 16DII117 – „Deutsches Internet-Institut“
Digidem Digest - Issue 17 (August 2019)
No full textThe Digidem Digest literature radar was a monthly curated overview of the latest publications with relevance to the research group "Democracy and Digitalization" at the Weizenbaum Institute. Their research focused around the interrelation of digitalization and democratic self-determination, asking how liberal-democratic societies appropriate digital technologies and how democracy is changing within the digital configuration. The present articles and publications were chosen by observation of leading journals within the field - a list can be found at the end of each newsletter
Weizenbaum Panel: Politische Partizipation in Deutschland 2019, WP1-19 [Methodenbericht]
No full textDer hier zum Download bereitstehende Methodenbericht enthält zentrale Informationen zur ersten Befragungswelle im Erhebungszeitraum von Anfang September bis Ende November 2019
Unexpected Inferences from Sensor Data. A Hidden Privacy Threat in the Internet of Things
Get PDFA growing number of sensors, embedded in wearables, smart electric meters and other connected devices, is surrounding us and reaching ever deeper into our private lives. While some sensors are commonly regarded as privacy-sensitive and always require user permission to be activated, others are less protected and less worried about. However, experimental research findings indicate that many seemingly innocuous sensors can be exploited to infer highly sensitive information about people in their vicinity. This paper reviews existing evidence from the literature and discusses potential implications for consumer privacy. Specifically, the analysis reveals that certain insufficiently protected sensors in smart devices allow inferences about users’ locations, activities and real identities, as well as about their keyboard and touchscreen inputs. The presented findings call into question the adequacy of current sensor access policies. It is argued that most data captured by smart consumer devices should be classified as highly sensitive by default. An introductory overview of sensors commonly found in these devices is also provided, along with a proposed classification scheme
Privacy Icons
Get PDFAlthough the institution of consent within the General Data Protection Regulation intends to facilitate the exercise of personal autonomy, reality paints a different picture. Due to a host of structural and psychological deficits, the process of giving consent is often neither informed nor does it foster self-determination. One key element in addressing this shortcoming is the visualisation of relevant information through icons. This article outlines a riskbased methodology for the selection, design and implementation of such privacy icons. It lays the groundwork for identifying risky data processing aspects as a first step in a larger project of creating a privacy icons set to accompany privacy policies. The ultimate goal of the privacy icons is to assist users in making better informed consent decisions through the visualisation of data processing aspects based on their inherent risks.This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) under grant no 16DII111 ('Deutsches Internet-Institut')