Research Unit Media Psychology

Research Interests:
(Right-wing) Extremism and Radicalization • Hate Speech • Entertainment Research

Information

The Chair of Communication Science with a focus on Media Psychology has been led by Professor Diana Rieger since October 2018.

In both research and teaching, Prof. Rieger and her team engage extensively with key questions in political communication and media psychology. Their work is centered around two main thematic areas:

The first focuses on extremism and radicalization. Across a range of research projects, the team investigates the dynamics of radicalization processes, right-wing extremism, and hate speech. Particular emphasis is placed on longitudinal studies that trace radicalization processes over several years, both within relevant Telegram communities and across society as a whole. In addition, media psychological theories and methods are employed to analyze the perception and effects of hateful and extremist content in a nuanced way.
The second focus examines the influence of digital media offerings and their effects on users’ well-being and entertainment experiences. In this context, individual psychological factors (e.g., biographical resonance) as well as situational aspects (e.g., norm salience) are systematically integrated into media psychological research questions.

Methodologically, the team pursues a broad and integrative approach based on the close interconnection of different quantitative and qualitative methods. These are applied in both content-analytical and survey-based studies. The methodological spectrum ranges from computational methods and big data analyses to qualitative interviews and quantitative designs involving psychophysiological or in-situ measurements.

Research Projects

MOTRA focuses on analyzing radicalization and extremism in Germany. The Internet Monitoring team at LMU investigates radical and extremist discourse and actors on social media, as well as their impact beyond the digital sphere.

Further information about the project MOTRA.

Duration: 01/2020 - 03/2028

Leadership: Prof. Diana Rieger

Financial support: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR), Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat (BMI), Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ)

The joint research project RadiGaMe focuses on radicalization and extremism in the context of gaming and gaming-related platforms. Our subproject centers on the analysis of group dynamics and their role in radicalization processes on the messaging service Telegram.

Further information on the RadiGaMe project.

Project duration: 05/2023 - 04/2026

Project leads: Prof. Diana Rieger & Simon Greipl

Consortium partners: TU Berlin, Ruhr University Bochum, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, IDZ Jena, modus|zad, Berlin State Criminal Police Office (LKA Berlin), Munich Innovation Labs

Funding: Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)

ToxicAInment examines how and why toxic social media content is perceived as more acceptable when disguised as entertainment. To achieve this, we combine AI methods with qualitative research and experimental studies.

Further information on the project ToxicAInment.

Duration: 04/2024 - 03/2027

Leadership: Prof. Dr. Yannis Theocharis

Financial sponsor: Bayerisches Forschungsinstitut für Digitale Transformation) (bidt)

The aim of the project is to anchor the AVERA community data trust more firmly in the research community and promote its use. AVERA is the “directory of actors involved in researching the spread of digital right-wing extremist and radical activities, radicalization processes, narratives, and discourses” and records actors with links to right-wing extremist political online communication and their social media accounts, primarily in Germany. The project supports the transmission of data from pilot users with high visibility in the research field.

The project is a collaboration between the GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, the Social Media Observatory at the Hans Bredow Institute in Hamburg, Amadeu Antonio Stiftung - Institut für Demokratie und Zivilgesellschaft in Jena, University of Tübingen, Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

Duration: 04/2025 - 03/2026

Leadership: Heidi Schulze & Prof. Dr. Diana Rieger

Financial support: EU, Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)

Further information on the COSPO project.

Leader: Dr. Mark Jungblut

Funded by: German Research Foundation (DFG)

Dis_Ident investigates how disinformation narratives related to Israel-related antisemitism spread on social media and shape the identities of young people. To this end, we conduct group discussions with adolescents, individual interviews with classmates and parents, as well as a media diary study.

Further information on the Dis_Ident project.

Project duration: 10/2025 - 12/2028

Project leads: Prof. Diana Rieger & PD Dr. Claudia Riesmeyer

Consortium partners: MIND prevention, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Cologne, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg

Funding: Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)