Sonja Utz

Prof. Sonja Utz is a Professor of communication via social media at the University of Tübingen and Head of the Everyday Media Lab. She leads research on social and mobile media use in knowledge acquisition, algorithm acceptance, and human-machine communication. Her work bridges informal (e.g., YouTube) and professional contexts (e.g., LinkedIn). She has secured prestigious grants including an ERC and Excellence Initiative awards.

Education:

• PhD in Psychology (1999), Catholic University of Eichstätt
• PostDoc at VU University Amsterdam (Social Psychology and Communication Science)
• Part-time Associate Professor at NHL Leeuwarden (2011-2013)

Research Interests: Focuses on social media dynamics, AI-human interaction, crisis communication, and algorithmic fairness. Her lab explores how platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn mediate knowledge exchange, with recent work on voice assistants' credibility and ChatGPT usage patterns.

Awards:

• ERC Grant Recipient
• Excellence Initiative Success

Grants & Projects: Leads projects on AI-human interaction, pandemic media use, and algorithmic bias. Notable projects include NewOrder (traditional knowledge erosion) and VREUNDE (long-distance social connections).

Labs: Directs the Everyday Media Lab, investigating media's role in daily life and professional settings.