Informed via social media: news and public affairs in the platform age

Info.social explores one of the key questions of the digital age: Where does the news we see on social media actually come from?

Social media platforms are often associated with influencers and new digital creators, but news and public-affairs content online is shaped by a much wider range of actors—including traditional news organisations, emerging media brands, and platform-specific content producers. This course invites students to critically investigate who informs citizens online, who owns or controls these sources, and what this means for media pluralism, democracy, and public debate.

Working in international teams with students from Salzburg, Athens, and Rome, participants will identify influential social-media accounts for news and public affairs in their countries, compare them across Europe, and analyse their ownership and control structures using open-data tools and research methods. Through this hands-on approach, students will develop practical skills in digital research, data visualisation, comparative analysis, and teamwork.

The course combines virtual collaborative research with a physical week in Salzburg, including newsroom visits (such as ORF Salzburg and Salzburger Nachrichten), discussions with journalists, and presentations of student findings. This offers a unique opportunity to connect academic analysis with professional media practice.

By the end of the programme, students will have a deeper understanding of how social media, journalism, ownership, and platform power interact—and will be better equipped to critically assess the information environments that shape contemporary public life.

Info.social aims to equip students with the conceptual, analytical, and civic competences needed to understand who informs citizens in the platform age.

After completing the BIP, students will be able to:

Knowledge

• Explain current debates on platformisation, media ownership, and pluralism in Europe.
• Identify the main types of actors (traditional news organisations, influencers, hybrid creators) that provide news and public-affairs content on social media.

Skills

• Collect and interpret empirical data on social-media news providers using open sources such as the Digital News Report and Euromedia Ownership Monitor.
• Compare media-system characteristics across countries and recognise structural similarities and differences.
• Collaborate in transnational, mixed teams using digital tools for research and presentation.

Competences

• Critically reflect on the democratic and ethical implications of information flows online.
• Communicate findings clearly to academic and non-academic audiences.
• Work effectively across languages, cultures, and disciplines.

The physical component in Salzburg will take place from Monday, 10 May 2027, to Friday, 15 May 2027, and it serves as the culmination of the virtual phase and transnational teamwork. Students will present and discuss their comparative findings, visit newsrooms, and engage with journalists and academics to connect their analyses to real-world practice.

Planned activities include:

• Visits to ORF Salzburg and Salzburger Nachrichten to observe how traditional media organisations produce social-media content and navigate platform pressures.
• Debates on practices by traditional media organisations and practitioners on social media, reflecting on journalistic autonomy, platform algorithms, and audience engagement.
• Group presentations of students’ cross-country datasets and visualisations, followed by peer and expert feedback.
• Closing round-table to synthesise insights on ownership, influence, and media pluralism in the digital public sphere.

These activities link empirical research to civic reflection, promoting interaction between students, staff, and stakeholders while reinforcing CIVIS values of critical engagement and European collaboration.

The virtual phase builds conceptual and methodological foundations for the empirical work developed during mobility. It evolves alongside six meetings, always on Thursdays (15:00 - 18:00 CEST; 16:00 - 19:00 EST):

• 4 March 2027: Introduction and overview of the EU and Austrian media systems, with Tales Tomaz, Stylianos Papathanassopoulos, and Christian Ruggiero
• 11 March 2027: Communication in the digital age and the Greek case, Stylianos Papathanassopoulos and Lisa Tsaliki
• 18 March 2027: Traditional and social media ownership, Aikaterini Stavrianea
• 8 April 2027: EU regulation on media freedom and the liability of digital intermediaries, Maria Romana Allegri
• 15 April 2027: Ownership concentration, political influence and control in the Italian media system, Christian Ruggiero and Mauro Bomba
• 22 April 2027: Main learnings and preparation for the physical part in Salzburg, with Tales Tomaz, Stylianos Papathanassopoulos, and Christian Ruggiero

Short inputs are followed by active group work, ensuring that students learn by doing and apply concepts to real-world cases. Peer interaction and continuous feedback maintain motivation and intercultural exchange.

Assessment emphasises collaboration and applied learning rather than lengthy written outputs.

• Group project (70%) – Each mixed international team produces a comparative dataset (including mapping of relevant social-media news accounts, ownership/control information following BODS v0.3, and visual network representations using tools such as Flourish or Gephi) and delivers a 10-minute presentation during the physical week in Salzburg.
• Participation and peer feedback (30%) – Active contribution to online sessions, group discussions, collaborative tasks, and reflection exercises throughout the virtual and physical components.

Formative feedback is provided continuously during workshops and group supervision; summative assessment is finalised at the end of the physical component.

Student work will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Accuracy and quality of research – Reliability of data collection, correct identification of social-media actors, and sound use of ownership/control mapping methods.
• Comparative and critical analysis – Ability to interpret findings across countries, identify broader patterns, and reflect critically on media pluralism, platformisation, and public communication.
• Clarity of presentation and communication – Quality, structure, and accessibility of dataset visualisation, oral presentation, and argumentation.
• Collaboration and teamwork – Effective participation in mixed international groups, contribution to shared tasks, and constructive peer engagement.
• Engagement and participation – Active involvement in discussions, workshops, and feedback activities across the full BIP.

Tales Tomaz (University of Salzburg): Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and coordinator of the Euromedia Ownership Monitor (EurOMo), specialising in media ownership, platform governance, and digital democracy.

Christian Ruggiero (Sapienza University of Rome): Associate Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes, focusing on journalism studies, political communication, and hybrid media systems.

Maria Romana Allegri (Sapienza University of Rome): Associate Professor of Public Law and Information & Communication Law, researching social media regulation, disinformation, freedom of expression, and digital rights.

Mauro Bomba (Sapienza University of Rome): Postdoctoral researcher in Communication and Social Research whose work examines digital journalism, platformisation, political communication, and fact-checking.

Stylianos Papathanassopoulos (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens): Professor of Media Policy and Organization, internationally recognised for research on European media systems, journalism, and platform-era media policy.

Aikaterini Stavrianea (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens): Assistant Professor of Advertising Communication, Public Relations and Marketing, specialising in advertising, digital media, consumer behaviour, and communication strategy.

Lisa Tsaliki (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens): Professor and Head of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, focusing on media and technology, internet studies, digital culture, and politics in the information society.