GRK 1780:  CrossWorlds: Connecting Virtual and Real Social Worlds

• Subject Area: Social Sciences ; Computer Science
• Term: from 2012 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 191845130

The Research Training Group addresses the increase in digitisation and its resulting virtualisation of processes, communication, environments and finally of the human counterparts. The nature and the degree of virtualisation vary significantly, and they depend considerably on the context of application. In addition, media-mediated communication is restricted in comparison with real-world communication. Our goal is to overcome the current constraints of media-mediated communication. In doing so, we will study, which new ways of interaction and communication are offered by the connection of virtual and real social worlds in comparison with the experience of immediate real interaction and communication. The research programme subdivides the connection between virtual and real social environments into the fields of: communication, emotions, sensomotorics and learning. Research in these areas is performed within interdisciplinary research tandems consisting of computer scientists and social scientists on a doctoral, postdoctoral and on the supervisory level. The qualification programme is based on the objective of the Research Training Group, which is explicitly focussed on joint technology-oriented and social-scientific-oriented media research. Lectures ensure that the fellows, originating from various departments and programmes, develop a common understanding. In addition, seminars and workshops, some of them to be organised by the fellows, are focussed on the research topics of the fellows. Furthermore, tutorials prepare the fellows for the challenges of the national and international scientific community. The qualification programme is completed by visits of designated guest scholars.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Chemnitz
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Guido Brunnett; Professorin Dr. Claudia Fraas; Professor Dr.-Ing. Martin Gaedke; Professor Dr.-Ing. Fred Henrik Hamker; Professor Dr. Wolfram Hardt; Professor Dr. Josef F. Krems; Dr. Stefan Meier; Professor Dr. Michael R. Müller; Professor Dr. Peter Ohler; Professor Dr. Günter Daniel Rey, since 8/2013; Professor Dr. Paul Rosenthal; Privatdozent Dr. Julien Vitay; Dr.-Ing. Matthias Vodel
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Maximilian Eibl