Spring til hovedindhold

15.12.2026   kl. 11:00 - 12:00

DIAS Event: From Global Fear to Local Strength: Countering Polycrisis Narratives in an Age of Hybrid Warfare by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sophie Lecheler

About the event:
This lecture explores how alarmist polycrisis narratives distort risk perceptions, undermine preparedness, and amplify vulnerabilities to hybrid threats. Combining political communication research with technological innovation, it examines how decentralized, community-driven communication networks can strengthen trust, cooperation, and societal resilience.  

About the speaker:
Sophie Lecheler is Professor of Political Communication at the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna. Her research explores the impact of technological change on politics, public discourse, and democracy, bridging communication science with political science, psychology, and digital technologies. She holds a PhD from the University of Amsterdam and degrees from the Universities of Cambridge and Munich. Previously, she held academic positions at the University of Amsterdam and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research has appeared in leading international journals, including Journal of Communication, Political Communication, Communication Research, New Media & Society, and Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. She also co-leads the Vienna Doctoral College of Digital Humanism, and currently serves as the speaker for a new Research Platform on Trustworthy Science Communication.

More information  https://polcom.univie.ac.at/ 

The event is organized by Claes De Vreese