Online Communication Lab

Welcome to the Online Communication Lab!

Digital communication shapes how people interact, process information, negotiate topics, and organize social life. The Online Communication Lab (OCL) at the Department of Communication at the University of Münster, led by Prof. Thorsten Quandt, explores these developments and their impact on individuals, groups, and society.

Our goal is to make digital communication processes visible and understandable - for researchers, students, societal stakeholders, and the wider public.

Join the OCL!

Open Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate (Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in, salary level E 13 TV-L)

Starting October 1, 2026, the position will be part of the third-party funded project “Conflict, Religion, Institution,” funded by Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt. The project offers the opportunity to work with and further develop computational methods to investigate questions related to conflict, religion, and institutions.

Overview:

  • full-time (100%)

  •  four-year fixed-term contract

  • application deadline: September 18, 2026

For the full job advertisement, please click here. 

News

© VolkswagenStiftung

Volkswagen Foundation funds new research project

With funding from the Volkswagen Foundation, a new international research project on the strategic use of historical narratives in digital media will begin shortly. Together with partners in Italy and Spain, the research team will investigate how far-right actors instrumentalize history for political purposes and what this means for democratic public discourse.

© OCL

Meet the Team: ERC Project “DANCE”

The research team of the ERC project DANCE is now complete. Since the project's launch in March 2026, the researchers have been working together to investigate toxic dynamics in digital youth and online cultures. Learn more about the team. 

© ICA

Preview: Our Team at ICA26 in Cape Town

At the annual conference of the International Communication Association, we present current research from a range of thematic areas. We have prepared an overview of all OCL presentations for you.

© M&K

Qualitative Study on Usage Practices of ChatGPT published

Anastasia Glawatzki and Paula Philine Jung have investigated usage practices of ChatGPT and anthropomorphic role attributions. The interview study was published in the journal Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft.

 

Find more news from the OCL here.