Fantastic news to start the summer: three ccs.amsterdam researchers were granted the prestigious NWO VENI individual research grants of 250kE each. Congratulations to Judith Möller, Mariken van der Velden, and Kasper Welbers!

See brief project summaries below, and check back here later to see the full project descriptions and research progress.

Vocal, Visible and Vaulting? (Dis)connected niche audiences in the age of artificial intelligence
Dr J.E. (Judith) Möller, UvA – Amsterdam School of Communication Research

This project studies the impact of algorithmic filter systems and artificial intelligence on specific segments of the population and niche audiences (fringe bubbles). It will contribute to our understanding of the consequences of AI for the public debate and the cohesion of the public sphere.

A Promise is a Promise! Unfolding the Electoral Ramifications of Political Compromises
Dr M.A.C.G. (Mariken) van der Velden, VU

Nowadays, political compromises seem to be extremely unpopular. This poses a problem for politicians’ ability to form stable coalitions to govern. My project studies the ramifications of compromises for politicians’ communication and voter behaviour utilizing virtual reality techniques, experiments and computational textual approaches.

Gatekeeping in the era of fake news: The effects of trust on online news consumption behaviour
Dr K. (Kasper) Welbers, VU – Communication Science

Despite much debate about the state of trust in online news sources, we know little about the effects of trust on online news consumption behavior. I link digital trace data with a panel-survey and content analysis to investigate these effects in unprecedented detail to enrich the media trust debate.