If the early 20th century was still the age of industrial production, diesel engines, steaming machines, and factory floors, the early 21st century is undoubtedly that of Big Data, networking, and automation
- in short: the age of data.
Our lives are increasingly translated into data - datafication. Consequently, digital data is central to all areas of life. The permanent stream of data we generate determines how we inform ourselves, learn, and work. Further, data influences how we find and maintain relationships, helps us keep track of our health, optimizes how we exercise and eat, decides which products we buy, and which restaurants we visit.
At the same time, increasing datafication also gives rise to new forms and contexts of social communication, room for automation and optimization processes of our lifestyles, and opportunities for commercialization as well as state surveillance.
Inevitably, the question arises to what extent we control our lives ourselves or are directed by our self-generated data streams.
The interdisciplinary group "Leben als Datum" exploratively addresses various related questions:
- How is the increasing datafication of social life perceived by different groups of the population?
- What impact does datafication have on different areas of life such as health, sports, mobility, consumption, sustainability, communication, and work?
- What transformational potential do data and a datafication of social life have?
- What social and legal challenges arise from the increasing datafication of life - keyword: "transparent individual"?
- How self-determined do citizens perceive the datafication of their lives?
- At what point, if any, is government regulation perceived to make sense?
Members of the interdisciplinary group 'Leben als Datum'
| Alphabetical list of names | Field | Institution / Company | Interdisciplinary Group (AG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fadeeva, Yuliya | Faculty of Humanities Department of Philosophy | University of Duisburg-Essen | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Hoch, Veronica R. S. | Law Faculty Institute of Private Law | Ruhr-University Bochum | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Kindermann, Bastian | Department of Business and Economics Technology management | Technical University Dortmund | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Köchling, Gerrit | Department of Business and Economics Finance | Technical University Dortmund | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Krämer, Dennis | Department of Medicine Institute of Medical Ethics and History | Ruhr-University Bochum | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Lauer, Sabine | Center for Higher Education Department of Continuing Education | Technical University Dortmund | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Loepp, Benedikt | Faculty of Engineering Department of Computer Science and Applied Cognitive Science (INKO) | University of Duisburg-Essen | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Warner, Wiebke | Faculty of Geosciences Institute for Geology, Mineralogy and Geophysics | Ruhr-University Bochum | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Weissova, Barbora | Faculty of History Institute of Archaeological Sciences | Ruhr-University Bochum | AG Das Leben als Datum |
| Ziller, Conrad | Faculty of Social Sciences Institute for Political Science | University of Duisburg-Essen | AG Das Leben als Datum |