Launch of Two New Projects on Virtual Lifeworlds

In the first funding phase, the researchers involved in the CRC, whose spokesperson is Professor Stefan Rieger from the Institute for Media Studies at RUB, examined virtuality as a component of everyday practices. In the second phase, in which researchers from the Ruhr University Alliance are now also participating, the focus is shifting to specific areas of tension within virtual lifeworlds. Among other topics, the research centers on the question of how virtuality is reshaping areas such as schools, universities, the workplace and political negotiation. At the heart of the collaboration is the “Virtual University”, which integrates research, teaching and science communication.

How inclusive are virtual work environments?

The new sub-project “Virtual Work Environments: Inclusion and Exclusion in Socio-Technical Systems”, led by Professor Frauke Mörike and coordinated by Dr. Anne Deremetz from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at TU Dortmund University, examines the world of work and how virtual working methods are changing the professional participation of people with disabilities. “Virtual working methods can open up new opportunities for professional participation for people with disabilities through more flexible daily routines or ways of working together, for example, or the use of assistive technologies directly in the workplace,” explains Dr. Anne Deremetz.

At the same time, however, virtual work environments can create new barriers: Algorithmic decisions, software that is not designed to be accessible, digital meetings that are difficult to attend – these can all make participation more difficult. To ensure that information remains accessible and to avoid social isolation, informal interactions in the office must be designed in such a way that they are inclusive in virtual contexts, too. The project examines how technology, work organization and social structures facilitate or impede access. Here, it focuses on employees’ experiences and informal practices – such as workarounds – that expose barriers and open up new ways for people to participate. Field studies, including scientific observations, interviews and digital diaries, provide insights from everyday working life. The results are deliberated with practitioners, creating a pool of ideas for the inclusive design of virtual work environments.

Digital helpers for repair work

How are digital technologies changing the way we carry out repairs? This is the question that the second new sub-project, “Virtual Repairs: Working on the Future of Technology”, led by Dr. Ronja Trischler from the Department of Social Sciences at TU Dortmund University, seeks to answer. It centers on digital tools such as online instructions, apps, simulations, digital twins and AI chatbots – and how we plan repair work and learn how to do it. “Repair is no longer simply a question of good manual skills. Digital media and technologies open up new possibilities for preparing repairs, sharing knowledge and developing visions for the future,” says Dr. Ronja Trischler.

On the basis of two case studies, the project analyzes different repair practices: the everyday repair of clothing and the maintenance of industrial textile machinery. It examines how digital knowledge and practical experience interact, and what new opportunities – but also limitations – there are for repair. In view of socio-ecological challenges, the question of which things are repaired and how – and what role repair will play for society and the world of work in the future – is gaining significance.

The team at TU Dortmund University

Alongside Professor Frauke Mörike and Dr. Anne Deremetz, Kassandra Kyei and Maike Adolph are also conducting research in the “Virtual Work Environments” sub-project. In the “Virtual Repairs” sub-project, Clara Gander and Tereza Preussová are working alongside Dr. Ronja Trischler.

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