Bergen Media Use Research Group
Bergen Media Use Research Group is part of the Department of Information Science and Media Studies, and is led by Hallvard Moe and Brita Ytre-Arne. The group researches how people use media - as audiences, users and citizens, and how they relate to each other and to society through media.

About the research group
The Bergen Media Use Research group is led by Hallvard Moe and Brita Ytre-Arne, who also lead research projects PREPARE (ERC, Moe), Media Use in Crisis Situations (NFR, Ytre-Arne) and Work Package 1 Understanding Media Experiences at MediaFutures. Read more about these and other projects here.
The Media Use Group is a community of researchers and master’s students who are interested in media use, and it is a part of the Department of Information Science and Media Studies. The group researches how people – as audiences, users and citizens – connect to each other and the society through media.
The group is especially interested in media use as a link between individuals and the society, and analyses democratic, political and socio-cultural dimensions of media use. We work with theoretical and methodological development to understand the role of media in a digital society.
The research group arranges group meetings, workshops and open seminars. Master’s students in the group get a glimpse on current media research, feedback on drafts, and a chance to give a try-out presentation to the group. Researchers in the group lecture on courses on media use on both bachelor’s and master’s levels, as well as arrange an annual PhD course on media use research together with colleagues from Roskilde University.
Featured
Projects
PREPARE - Distributed and prepared. A new theory of citizens` public connection networks in the age of datafication
Against the backdrop of fragmented political debate, algorithm-controlled social media and threats of propaganda and disinformation, PREPARE aims to better understand people's connection to the public. Read more about PREPARE.
IMAGINE - Citizen Perceptions of AI in Everyday Media Life
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging in many areas of our lives. If AI creates uncertainty about who or what we are communicating with, it can threaten our understanding of a shared social world.
IMAGINE investigates how Norwegian citizens perceive AI in the media. The goal is to uncover the "folk theories" about AI – that is, how individuals imagine these technologies based on their own everyday experiences. Read more about IMAGINE.
MUCS - Mediebruk i krisesituasjoner
MUCS studies media use in complex societal crisis situations, comparing the pandemic and the climate crisis. The project is a collaboration between media studies, human geography and journalism studies. We analyze how people in Norway encounter these issues in everyday life and in the media, where information is abundant across digital platforms. Read more about MUCS.
iFAM – Flergenerasjonelle familier og algoritmiske medier
iFAM - Intergenerational families & algorithmic media investigates how adults can gain algorithmic media literacy through intergenerational learning within the family. Read more about iFAM.
NEWSREC - The Double-edged Sword of News Recommenders' Impact on Democracy
The NEWSREC project deals directly with one of the most pressing questions facing the news media today: What are the precise conditions under which news recommender technology are for the better or the worse for the democratic role of the news media? We focus on one of the most heavily debated consequences of news recommenders: individuals' exposure to and sharing of like-minded news (selective exposure and sharing). Read more about NEWSREC.
People
Group manager
Brita Ytre-Arne Forskningsgruppeleder
Hallvard Moe Forskningsgruppeleder
Group members
Lene Angelskår Forskningrådgiver
Marianne Borchgrevink-Brækhus Phd-kandidat
Solveig Høegh-Krohn Phd-kandidat
Aleksandra Kas Phd-kandidat
Erik Knudsen Førsteamanuensis
Tom Legierse Phd-kandidat
Hedda Paulsen Phd-kandidat
Ida Martine Gard Rysjedal Phd-kandidat
Mehri S. Agai Postdoktor
Hilde Sakariassen Postdoktor
Ida Kvilhaug Sekanina Phd-kandidat
Emilie Midtsæter Strønen Phd-kandidat
Rune Søholt Phd-kandidat
Özlem Demirkol-Tønnesen Postdoktor
Katharina Maria Wuropulos Postdoktor
Contact
- Emails
- lene.angelskar@uib.no