معرفی
Dr. Deborah Wolf is a Researcher at the Institute for Media and Cultural Studies within the Faculty of Philosophy at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, where she has been employed since October 2021. Prior to this position, she worked as a research associate at the Graduate College 'Factual and Fictional Narration' at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (2018-2021), where she completed her doctoral project on 9/11 conspiracy theories. She also served as a research assistant at Philipps-Universität Marburg (2017-2018) on a project examining television specials in German political media culture.
Wolf's research focuses on conspiracy narratives, the mediality of living spaces, crisis and conflict communication, and internet research using qualitative methods, political theory, and subjectivity concepts. Her work demonstrates a consistent interest in how conspiracy theories function within media culture, particularly examining their audiovisual representation, rhetorical strategies, and social dynamics across digital platforms. She has made significant contributions to understanding how conspiracy theories operate in media ecosystems, with particular expertise in 9/11 conspiracy narratives and their representation across different media forms.
Wolf has published extensively on conspiracy theories in academic journals and edited volumes, with her most recent work analyzing the audiovisual dimensions of conspiracy content. Her publications reveal a trajectory of increasingly sophisticated analysis of conspiracy media, moving from textual analysis of YouTube content to examining the broader cultural and political implications of conspiracy narratives in contemporary society.
As an active member of the academic community, Wolf has served as co-spokesperson for the Media Studies and Political Theory working group of the German Society for Media Studies (GfM) since November 2020 and was a founding member of the Conspiracy Narratives, Tribalization and Political Polarization working group in March 2023. She has organized numerous workshops and conferences, including the 2024 workshop 'Exploring. Media Studies in Times of Climate Catastrophe' in Düsseldorf.
Wolf is also deeply engaged in science communication, having participated in numerous public events, interviews, and podcasts to discuss conspiracy theories with broader audiences. Her public outreach includes appearances in FAZ, university podcasts, radio interviews, and public lectures aimed at improving media literacy and critical understanding of conspiracy narratives in contemporary society.
