Andreas Oberlinner

Department: Department of Communication Studies

PhD Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ingrid Paus-Hasebrink

PhD Co-Supervisor: tba

Start: WiSe 2017/18

Contact:

Thesis/Topic: Thematic Discourses on Social TV

Abstract

This doctoral thesis examines how the topic of migration is addressed in social TV, using selected episodes of Tatort and the concurrent communication on Twitter as case studies. The aim of the study is to gain an insight into how the topic is addressed in social TV and to identify the interpretations and motivations behind the tweets. A multi-level analysis is employed as the methodological approach. The production of the Tatort episodes is examined through expert interviews with editorial teams and producers. Each episode is analysed qualitatively, whilst the Twitter communication taking place during the episode’s broadcast is analysed using content analysis. In addition, selected viewers are interviewed using qualitative guided interviews.