In the seminars at the chair, you will be expected to develop and present a scientific topic yourself based on original scientific literature. Particular emphasis will be placed on independent, critical engagement with the literature and on the formal correctness of the written work and presentation in accordance with the specified scientific standards.
Applications for the bachelor's seminar and the master's seminar in the summer term 2026 can be submitted from January 12, 2026, 9:00 a.m. to January 19, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Please apply using the application form available on this page during this period.
Notification of acceptance: January 23, 2026
Kick-off meeting for bachelor's and master's seminar: April 2026
Deadline for accepting or declining a spot in the seminar: by January 26, 2026, 9:00 a.m.
Der Lehrstuhl Wirtschaftsinformatik mit Schwerpunkt Betriebliche Informationssysteme bietet im Sommersemester 2026 ein Bachelorseminar zum Thema "Vom Wal zum Schwarm: Dezentrale digitale Online-Plattformen" an.
Digitale Plattformen bilden heutzutage die Basis für eine Vielzahl neuer Geschäftsmodelle und haben bestehende Industrien revolutioniert, vom E-Commerce über Cloud-Dienste bis hin zu sozialen Netzwerken. Doch ihre wachsende Dominanz birgt auch Herausforderungen: Die Winner-takes-all-Dynamik in Plattformmärkten führt zu einer Konzentration von Daten und Macht bei wenigen – meist US-basierten – Tech-Konzernen, was wiederum Fragen zum Datenschutz aufwirft. Darüber hinaus birgt die Abhängigkeit von zentralisierten Infrastrukturen auch Risiken hinsichtlich der Ausfallsicherheit.
Dezentrale Plattformen bieten eine Alternative: Im Gegensatz zu zentralisierten Plattformen wie Instagram, YouTube oder X können Inhalte und Nutzerdaten bei dezentralen Plattformen auf einer Vielzahl eigenständig verwalteter und lose gekoppelter Instanzen verteilt liegen, die auf Basis offener Protokolle miteinander kommunizieren. Prominente Beispiele sind dabei soziale Netzwerke wie Mastodon oder PeerTube. Oftmals ist es auch möglich, für interessierte Individuen oder Organisationen eigene Instanzen zu betreiben. So kann Machtkonzentration vermieden werden.
Im Seminar untersuchen wir die Vorteile und auch die problematischen Auswirkungen der Dominanz großer Tech-Plattformen auf die digitale Gesellschaft. Dabei soll insbesondere beleuchtet werden, inwieweit sich dezentrale Plattformen als Alternative eignen und wo sie scheitern. Folgende beispielhafte Fragen werden in unserem Seminar untersucht:
The Chair of Business Information Systems is offering a master's seminar on “Digital First: Virtual Identities in the age of Social Media, AI and the Metaverse” in the summer semester 2026.
In today’s digitized world, technology is no longer just a tool we use, it creates an online space we inhabit. Digital technologies create and shape our world, transforming the way we live, work, and interact. As the boundaries between our physical and digital realities dissolve, the concept of “identity” is undergoing a radical transformation. Identity is the total of everything that makes you “you” and allows you to be recognized as a unique individual over time. The shift into the virtual offers freedom for self-expression but also challenges our fundamental understanding of privacy and identity.
In this seminar, we will examine topics related to virtual identities in digital contexts, including social media and avatar-based virtual environments such as the Metaverse.
The following exemplary questions will be examined in our seminar:
Important: The Bachelor's and Master's seminar places are allocated in a coordinated manner in the area of Information Systems (Chairs of Prof Krämer, Prof Widjaja, Prof Gerlach, Prof Gnewuch). You will therefore not receive more than one offer for a seminar place. In order to maximise your chances of getting your preferred place, you should therefore only apply for exactly one seminar in the field of Information Systems per semester. If you are unable to obtain a place in your preferred seminar, but there are still places available in other seminars, we may offer you a place in another seminar without a separate application. When allocating seminar places in the field of Information Systems, cases of hardship (i.e. students for whom not being considered could prolong their studies; this is particularly the case if you are studying for a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems and have at least 90 ECTS in your transcript of records) are considered separately and across all chairs. Multiple applications are therefore not necessary here either, as these students will always be assigned to one of the seminars.
