Three Days of Academic Exchange with KU Leuven

From 19 to 21 August 2026, we were pleased to welcome colleagues from the Media Culture & Policy Lab at KU Leuven, to Münster for a joint workshop. Over three days, researchers from Leuven and Münster came together to discuss shared research interests, exchange methodological perspectives, and develop ideas for future collaboration.

The workshop brought together a range of topics that connect the research interests of our Online Communication Lab with those of our colleagues in Leuven. These included gaming, well-being, mis- and disinformation, and conspiracy narratives. Current developments around generative AI, platform communication, and digital cultures also provided important points of discussion.

Alongside these shared interests, methodological exchange was an important part of the workshop. We discussed approaches ranging from surveys to computational and multimodal methods, as well as platforms, APIs, social media data collection, and digital trace data.

A particular focus was placed on developing concrete perspectives for future collaboration. In small groups, we explored research questions, methodological complementarities, and possible joint initiatives before bringing the ideas back to the wider group.

We would like to sincerely thank our colleagues from Leuven for three inspiring days filled with engaging conversations and new perspectives. We look forward to continuing the discussions and further strengthening the collaboration between the Online Communication Lab and the Media Culture & Policy Lab.

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