Sven Stollfuß
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Sven Stollfuß is a professor for Media Change at the Institute for Communication and Media Studies at Leipzig University. His research deals with forms and further developments of digital television, TV series, and social TV applications as well as a participatory production culture on the Internet. He is also working on platformization of media and book culture, the role and function of artificial intelligence in digital publishing, and forms of collaborative reading and writing on digital platforms. In the research context of digital television and TV series he is particularly interested in forms of discursive negotiations of political fiction. He was principal investigator of the funded project “Social TV in a Connective Media Culture” (DFG; 2019–2023). From April 2024 to March 2027 he will serve as the principal investigator for the newly funded project titled “Platformization of Public Service Media” (DFG). At Leipzig University he is also co-director of the Center for Digital Participation.
Research Interests
Digital Television, TV Series, Social TV, Social Media, Participatory Culture, Platformization of Media and Book Culture, Digital Publishing, Collaborative Reading and Writing, Audiovisual Media and Political Fiction
Screening European Populisms (2008-2020). Audiovisual Fiction, Social Media, and Political Affect
(Collaborative project, awarded a NetIAS Constructive Advanced Thinking grant, 2021-2024).
The project seeks to understand how fictional film and TV engages, promotes or challenges populist narratives, especially through emotional discourses.
In recent decades, populist forces have transformed the European landscape, challenging the legitimacy of institutions and representational systems. Frequently aligned with reactionary platforms, these actors rhetorically position themselves against the mainstream media, the elites and/or external enemies. Narrative work is a crucial element in populist affect, yet the role of audiovisual fiction remains understudied: grasping this relationship is necessary to disentangle populisms’ capacity to hegemonize the framing of contemporary European crises.
We aim to address this gap, by focusing on key contemporary films and TV series from the five largest markets in Europe - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The project will analyze these fictional narratives, trace their reception, interactions, and appropriations, with a particular emphasis on social media discussions. The collaboration with two stakeholder organizations working in youth participation and in media literacy will also enable a better understanding of the role of fiction in creating and spreading populist affect in the current conjuncture.
Key Publications
Stollfuß, S. (2022). Platformization as a Structural Dimension for Public Service Media in Germany: The funk Content Network and the New Interstate Media Treaty. Television & New Media (Online First). DOI: 10.1177/15274764221138248.
Stollfuß, S. (2019). Is This Social TV 3.0? On funk and Social Media Policy in German Public Post-Television Content Production. Television & New Media 20(5), 509–524.
Stollfuß, S. (2018). Between Television, Web and Social Media: On Social TV, About:Kate and Participatory Production in German Public Television. Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies 15(1), 36–59.
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