The next speaker in this session at the 5th Data Donation Symposium at the Weizenbaum-Institut in Berlin is Sophia Graf, whose focus is on the Dein Feed, Deine Wahl project conducted during several 2026 state elections in Germany. This uses data donations to study how TikTok distributes political content during these elections; it recruiters participants during public events and also reflects back to donors how their own content and engagement patterns compare to other TikTok users.
This is a form of citizen science, involving ordinary citizens in political communication research. Such approaches can increase the diversity of perspectives in the research, broaden practical knowledge, spark interest in science, and increase the transparency of scholarly research projects. There are various forms and levels of such citizen involvement in scientific work, and this project aimed for a medium level of engagement.
In the end, some 13 citizens from diverse states and across various demographics accompanied the project over the course of some six months; they were consulted during regular online meetings, and were able to provide feedback on the project approach and especially its data donation recruitment and feedback aspects. Citizens also engaged in smaller working groups which produced social media recruitment materials, and contributed to the data donation recruitment drives at in-person festivals.
Such citizen involvement in the project planning and operation can thus also assist in the recruitment of data donors for the project itself; they can provide important new inputs. The festival activities themselves may not produce a substantial amount of new data donations, but increase donor diversity and provide an opportunity to discuss the project directly with ordinary people.
