Welcome!

 

The Vienna Media Change and Innovation (VMCI) Lab, as part of the Department of Communication of the University of Vienna, deals with changes in the media environment due to the presence of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) and their consequences on the individual, social relationships, and society as a whole.

The research focus of our group includes areas like media socialization, political engagement, bias and stereotypes, as well as digital media literacy with a particular focus on media use and effects across the life-span. Integrating theoretical perspectives from communication science, social and developmental psychology, sociology and political science, we study these pressing questions using quantitative, qualitative and computational methods. In doing so, we strive to generate knowledge that both advances the scholarly debate and is relevant for society and practice.

 News

08.04.2026
 

A new publication by Michaela Forrai, Delia Balaban, and Desirée Schmuck was published in Computers in Human Behavior.

02.04.2026
 

Join us for another round of research talks and workshops at our VMCI colloquium this semester.

02.04.2026
 

Two recent publications explore how AI-generated visuals shape credibility in political communication and what drives adolescents’ trust in...

30.03.2026
 

We’re excited that Team VMCI will be attending the ECREA in September with several team members.

30.03.2026
 

We are very happy to see so many VMCI members represented at this year’s ICA in Cape Town.

25.03.2026
 

A new article by Ellen Van Houtven and Desirée Schmuck on digital super peer perceptions has been published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated...