The project "Visions of the Post-Viral Society: Changes in Political Perceptions in the Course of the Covid19-Crisis" investigates whether new forms and sources of political legitimacy emerged during and as a result of the Covid19 pandemic, in particular as a consequence of the strong political intervention in public life and the economy. Machine learning algorithms will be used to analyze the evolution of political discourse on social media before, during and after the crisis in order to identify new and changing political demands and interests of citizens active on these platforms. The results of the project will inform the academic and public debate on the transformative potential of the current crisis and inform policy makers about emerging sources of democratic legitimacy.

The project is carried out in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Felix Bießmann (University of Applied Sciences Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Philipp Staab (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).