FM, Research Design and Empirical Methods - Seminar B: Fantastic Scandals and How to Research Them

In this seminar, we will focus on empirical methods in the context of ‘socio-mediated scandals’ (Zulli 2021). We will investigate how scandals are co-constructed across platforms by traditional media and social media users who are now contributing to the salience, negotiation, and evaluation of transgressions. We will discuss what constitutes a scandal in the digital age, who is involved in which ways, which dynamics are unleased in traditional and social media (e.g., bottom-up exposing of scandals and participation of marginalized voices, yet also shitstorms and hate speech), and what the public value of scandals in modern democracies might be. Scandals are used as showcases to highlight the challenges of grasping social phenomena, utilizing empirical research, and demonstrating the creativity necessary to gain insights into complex communicative interactions in vibrant digital media contexts.

The seminar is complementary to the lecture “Research Design and Empirical Methods.” Our discussions will build on the lecture’s content, and we will discuss follow-up questions. Yet, most importantly, you will prepare and conduct your own research project on a socio-mediated scandal with a case of your choice, which you will develop in groups throughout the seminar. In preparation, the seminar will deepen your knowledge of empirical research by examining exemplary study designs and specific methods applied in the research of scandals. You will learn to apply your knowledge on how to decide which method fits a research question best, how methods differ when it comes to qualitative, quantitative, and computational approaches, and we will do exercises that will help you to put your knowledge into practice.