New LOEWE Focus: Communication Rules for the Internet Age

Cell phones, e-mail and the Internet have revolutionized communication: Used correctly, they make communication more efficient and open up a variety of new applications. On the other hand, "always online" can also lead to the danger of overwork. The 2012 Stress Report of the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health records that a majority of employees are now frequently forced to multitask at work. In March 2012, the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) presented a study according to which more than a quarter of employees are also available to their employers during their free time. Psychology, sociology, business and now also politics are looking for concepts on how to reduce the resulting psychological pressure.

Now, a group of scientists from computer science, information technology, psychology, law and economics at the Universities of Kassel and Darmstadt are working on the "Always Online?" project to counter the downsides of the new communication technologies in order to enable innovation. The goal is, in particular, a new communication paradigm: rules on who should communicate or record what, when and how much. This is to be accompanied by the development of technical solutions that, for example - similar to an e-mail spam filter - prevent certain information from reaching the recipient at all, depending on the time and context.

For the project "Always Online? - a new communication paradigm for the communication society" project in Kassel and is supporting the project with around 4.1 million euros for an initial period of three years. This was announced today in Wiesbaden by the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Arts. "The establishment of the LOEWE focus enables us to analyze the causes and framework conditions of the new communication behavior in an interdisciplinary manner and to develop a technically, legally and, last but not least, psychologically viable paradigm of how to use the new communication possibilities in a meaningful way," explained Prof. Dr. Klaus David, head of the Department of Communication Technology at the University of Kassel and coordinator of the project. He points to Volkswagen: VW's works council recently enforced that in the future, the company will no longer send mails to employees' smartphones after work . "The example shows: The need for such rules is great and growing. We hope that our concept will catch on and contribute to a change in behavior in society that minimizes the risk of communication overload." The recommendations to be developed will initially apply to knowledge workers, and in the long term will be extended to other target groups and address future technological developments.

"The high prevalence and rapid innovations of modern information and communications technology, especially the Internet and mobile communications, are having a lasting impact on the modern information society," says David, describing the initial situation. "Technology makes it possible to communicate at any time, regardless of place or time. The same applies to the possibility of receiving information: any information, anywhere, anytime." The traditional social rules of communication no longer apply in the modern communication and information age, David says. The separation between professional and private is increasingly being erased, both in terms of space and time, he said.

The "Always Online?" project will start on January 1, 2014. The participating scientists and their areas of expertise are, in detail: Prof. Dr. Ralf Steinmetz and Dr. Doreen Böhnstedt (Multimedia Communication, TU Darmstadt), Prof. Dr. Klaus David (Communication Technology, University of Kassel), Prof. Dr. Alexander Roßnagel and Dr. jur. Silke Jandt (Public Law, Environmental and Technical Law, University of Kassel), Prof. Dr. Sandra Ohly (Business Psychology, University of Kassel), Prof. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg (Marketing and Human Resource Management, TU Darmstadt), Prof. Dr. Arno Wacker (Applied Information Security, University of Kassel).

The University of Kassel has so far been involved in four LOEWE priority projects: ELCH (electron dynamics of chiral systems), VENUS (information technology design), Cocoon (cooperative sensor communication) and IPF (integrative fungus research). The State Offensive for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence - LOEWE for short - is a program with which the State of Hesse has been strengthening the research landscape and funding outstanding collaborative scientific projects since 2008. More about LOEWE and the previous Kassel projects at goo.gl/sMhJg and www.proloewe.de.

Image of Prof. Dr. Klaus David at
www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2013/Prof-Klaus-David_2012-08-24_9234.jpg

Info

Prof. Dr. Klaus David
University of Kassel
Department of Communication Technology
Tel.: +49 561 804-6314
Mobile: 0170  2901 602
E-mail: klaus.david[at]comtec.eecs.uni-kassel[dot]de