About Janina Knörzer
Currently studying History at Undergraduate level at Trinity College Dublin. Outside of college, I spend my time with music and ballet, catching up on reading ‘old classics’, some amateur photography, and trying to gain a little bit of an understanding of biology and medicine.
For the duration of this programme, my research aims to prove a connection between environmental “end time” scenarios and their instrumentalization for the development of social movements. Through a historical perspective, I first want to identify patterns and then in a second step relate them back to universal reasons that make people susceptible to “political agitation”. Finally, I plan to develop recommendations for political education that help promote critical thinking in the context of political and social movements.
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Ariella Lang
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, Columbia University
Recent Comments
This sounds so interesting, Janina - I hope when you've completed your research, you'll share your findings with us here! Your research topic really resonates with me - that impending sense of dread when reading the news (especially nowadays, with COVID19 going on). It's contagious, and often based on emotion, not objective fact.
Although your research is in its early stages, I would really like to hear your preliminary thoughts on how the role of the media needs to change to combat this political agitation. I wonder if the media will be reluctant to change its behaviour, given that sensationalist headlines tend to 'sell' better?
Thank you! It's really great to see other people interested in this as well! While my research is not focusing on the media itself, it undeniably plays a huge role in the process of political agitation. I am quite certain that, as you have mentioned, a large part of the media tends to publish what "sells" instead of fulfilling a responsibility to inform and to educate. A big issue then lies in what kind of "news" people are more willing to pay attention to and therefore in a psychological approach. But I believe that a change in the role of the media would also be a matter of financial independence. I would be happy to keep in touch with you about this.