The DGPuK session at the upcoming ICA 2026 in Cape Town is being organized by Henri Mütschele, Sarah-Michelle Nienhaus, Ahrabhi Kathirgamalingam, and Prof. Dr. Christiane Eilders from the CAIS research program “Transformation of Digital Democratic Discourses” (T3D). The panel is titled “Inter- and Intra-Group Polarization Dynamics in the Climate Discourse: A Mixed-Method Perspective” and is part of the annual conference of the International Communication Association, which will take place from June 4 to 8, 2026, in South Africa. The ICA is the world’s largest international academic conference in communication and media studies, bringing together researchers from around the globe.
The panel focuses on various forms of polarization in the German climate discourse, ranging from ideological divides and affective distancing to perceived societal fragmentation. Four projects examine how media use, group interactions, and civil society actors influence individual and societal polarization. One of the contributions is presented by the CAIS T3D team and introduces a theoretical model of polarization within groups in social movements.
The panel will be moderated by Prof. Axel Bruns (Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia). The following papers will be presented:
- (Mis)Perceptions of Division: Media Use and Ideological Polarization in the Climate Discourse
Alina Jakob, Nayla Fawzi, and Juliane Keilmann (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) - A Reinforcing Spiral? Online News Exposure and Polarization in the Climate Discourse
Lisa Merten (Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans Bredow Institute), Clara Schultz (Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans Bredow Institute & University of Jena), Cornelius Puschmann and Patrick Zerrer (University of Bremen), Edda Humprecht (University of Jena), Helena Rauxloh and Sebastian Stier (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences), Juhi Kulshrestha (Aalto University) - Conformity and Distinctiveness in Intra-Group Polarization of Social Movements
Henri Mütschele, Sarah-Michelle Nienhaus, Ahrabhi Kathirgamalingam, and Prof. Dr. Christiane Eilders (Center for Advanced Internet Studies & Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) - Opinion Leaders as Agents of Depolarization in Civil-Society Networks
Rico Neumann, Prof. Dr. Barbara Pfetsch, and Prof. Dr. Swen Hutter (Free University of Berlin, WZB Berlin Social Science Center & Weizenbaum Institute)
The DGPuK session was awarded through a competitive peer-review selection process. The German Communication Association (DGPuK) invited its members to submit panel proposals for ICA 2026 and, with the selected session, enables a curated presentation of German communication research at the international conference. Through this selection, the CAIS team gains the opportunity to showcase current communication research from Germany within the international context of the ICA.