The project explores how adolescents in Germany perceive and use algorithms and artificial intelligence and what they know about them. To this end, group discussions, a diary study and a representative online survey were conducted.
Especially on social media, adolescents encounter content that is selected by algorithms. Furthermore, since ChatGPT, applications based on artificial intelligence (AI) have reached the general public. However, there has been a lack of systematic research into the perception and use of algorithms and AI and what young people actually know about them. This is where the project comes in, addressing these questions using a comprehensive mixed-methods approach based on group discussions, a diary study and a representative online survey of young people in Germany. The findings indicate that young people are well aware of algorithms and AI, but often have rather vague ideas about how they work, their characteristics and their authorship. The diary study shows that young people predominantly rate algorithms positively and appreciate their usefulness, but also consciously use strategies to control algorithms. The findings of the online survey underline this pattern.
Overall, the project highlights the need to expand knowledge transfer in the field of algorithms and AI. This should be promoted across various socialization contexts (e.g. by both parents and teachers) and be characterized by openness towards technological developments in order to enable a reflective approach to the opportunities and risks involved.
Closing Event „Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence in the Everyday Lives of Adolescents’“
Adolescents' perception of algorithms and artificial intelligence | Adolescents' use of algorithms and artificial intelligence | Adolescents' knowledge of algorithms and artificial intelligence
Professor
Digital Literacy • Media use and effects among children & adolescents • Media education
Program Coordinator Bachelor Communication Studies
Media socialization • Media literacy • Journalism research • Political communication • Qualitative methods
Professor
Digital Literacy • Media use and effects among children & adolescents • Media education
Program Coordinator Bachelor Communication Studies
Media socialization • Media literacy • Journalism research • Political communication • Qualitative methods
Academic Staff
Digital Literacy • Formative Media Experiences • Media Reception and Impact
The project includes several research projects within LMU. That's because it's great and very interdisciplinary.