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Research Project AlterUse - Digital Alternative News Use in Denmark

Project Duration: 09/01/2023 - 01/31/2027
The project AlterUse studies how alternative online news sources are used in Denmark. Today, the digital media landscape offers a plethora of different and non-traditional sources of information, including providers of so-called alternative news, which often have as their stated aim to counter so-called 'mainstream' news media.

However, research shows that alternative news sources not only contribute with new voices and perspectives, but also bring misleading or outright fake news, as well as extremely biased, hateful and conspiratorial information. Even so, we still know relatively little about who the users of alternative news sources are, how they find these sources and how they relate to them. To answer these questions, the project uses a combination of interviews, surveys and new tools such as data donations, media diaries and Q Sort methodology. Together, these methods provide a deep and comprehensive understanding of Danes' use of alternative online news sources.
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  • Contact

    Eva Mayerhöffer // project leader // Associate professor // evamay@ruc.dk
     

    Researchers

    Eva Mayerhöffer, Project leader

    Jakob Bæk Kristensen, Postdoc researcher

    Leif Pedersen, Postdoc researcher

  • Alternative Media and Ideological Counterpublics

    Alternative Media and Ideological Counterpublics studies the role of hyper-partisan alternative media in the digital public sphere. Hyper-partisan alternative media have become crucial actors in modern societies, and their ideology-driven content presents a critical challenge for journalism, public deliberation and society at large. The project researches the role of left-wing and right-wing alternative online media in the formation of ideological counterpublics vis-à-vis the mainstream public sphere and hence their potential contribution to societal radicalization and the polarization of public discourse.
     

    Echo chambers revisited: Modelling polarization dynamics on Danish social media

    Digital media is often accused of creating so-called 'echo chambers' where citizens isolate themselves with their peers and develop increasingly extreme views. Echo chambers have thus been seen as an essential part of a more general trend of increased political polarization and hostility in public debate. However, our knowledge of digital echo chambers and their significance in a Danish context is limited. This project will therefore conduct the first comprehensive analysis of digital echo chambers in Denmark.

Publications

Activities

Funding

The project is supported by the Inge Lehmann Program under the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) with € 385,799.00

The Inge Lehmann program is a special program that aims to support a more equal gender balance in research environments. An Inge Lehmann grant is awarded to applicants with potential for research and research leadership at a high international level.

Overblik over forskning på RUC

Base at Roskilde University

The research project is based at Department of Communications and Arts

Related research units: Digital Publics and Trust research group // Audiences and Mediated Life research group // Journalism and Democracy research group // Centre for News Research // Centre for Digital Citizenship

PhD Programme: Doctoral School of Communication and Arts

Education and programmes: Media and Communication // Bachelor in Global Humanities

Research from Roskilde University

Research overview

ikon for website

More about the research project

Additional information about Digital Alternative News Use in Denmark

The research project at the Roskilde University Research Portal

Profil

Contact

Project leader

Eva Mayerhöffer 
Associate professor
Phone: +45 4674 2045
 evamay@ruc.dk