Oliver Zöllner

This qualitative study ("When Chatbots Give Advice") investigates the acceptance of artificial systems, specifically ChatGPT outputs, as personal life advisors in everyday dilemmas. Drawing on six in-depth interviews conducted in Stuttgart, the case study explores whether individuals are able to distinguish human from artificially generated advice, and how they evalutate each form of advice. The study employs a comparative experimental design, presenting participants with two responses to a real-life ethical dilemma: should a terminally ill person acquire a pet dog? While one response has been written by a journalist and published in a magazine, a second one has been generated by prompting that same dilemma to ChatGPT. Both advices were read out to the interviewees by a text-to-speech synthetic voice. Reactions reveal a nuanced acceptance: while participants generally reject AI as a substitute for human friendship or emotional support, they acknowledge its potential as a supplementary tool for routine decisions. Participants readily identified the AI-generated response as such, noting its overly rational, structured, and option-rich approach, and contrasted it with the human response's empathetic, personal, and emotionally resonant tone. Despite skepticism about AI's reliability, transparency, and potential for manipulation, many participants expressed openness to using ChatGPT for simple, low-stakes decisions, viewing it as a source of neutral, fact-based perspectives. However, they emphasized the need for critical evaluation and human verification. The study concludes that AI is not seen as a replacement for human wisdom or emotional support, but rather as a potentially useful instrument in decision-making processes that should be used cautiously, reflecting a deep-seated humanist value system that prioritizes authentic human connection and moral agency.

Artificial Intelligence and robotics have long been part of everyday life. But what does their rise mean for human self-understanding, social practices, and ethical orientations? This edited volume revisits this question against the backdrop of current AI developments and robotic applications in public spaces. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the contributions bring together philosophical, ethical, legal, empirical, and design-based approaches to the human-machine relationship. At the core are fundamental questions: How are AI systems and robots transforming everyday actions, perceptions, and expectations? What hopes, fears, and value conflicts shape societal acceptance? And how can human-robot interactions be designed in a legally sound, ethically reflective, and human-centered way? The authors analyze narratives between utopia and dystopia, discuss concepts such as co-intelligence, social robotics, and non-anthropocentric ethics, and develop practical guidelines for design, regulation, and responsibility.

This edited volume presents seven empirical studies conducted by students in the summer semester of 2025 at Stuttgart Media University, Germany, as part of the seminar "Empirical Media Research: Digitality and Society." The studies explore the application of chatbots in language acquisition, intercultural exchange, and everyday settings. By compiling and publishing these course-based findings, the volume aims to enhance transparency in teaching and facilitate the broader dissemination of insights. This aligns with the principles of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as outlined by Felten (2013), which have recently been revisited in higher education pedagogy debates. The individual contributions examine the following topics: (1) Artificial intelligence as a possible substitute model for foreign language learning; (2) The impact of AI on language-learning motivation among students on exchange programs; (3) Learning and using languages with the support of artificial systems; (4) The role of chatbots in foreign language acquisition and the labor market integration of refugees; (5) The use of language models in intercultural communication; (6) The effects of chatbot deployment in public authorities on individuals with limited or no proficiency in the German language; (7) Linguistic anthropomorphism in chatbots and the question of their trustworthiness.

The chapter on "AI and Afterlife" explores the ethical and psychological implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in enabling digital forms of afterlife, where deceased individuals are "resurrected", or continue to be "present", through virtual avatars, chatbots, or other AI-based simulations. The article discusses case studies and asks whether such technologies aid in coping with grief or prolong emotional distress. It emphasizes the need for ethical frameworks to govern these applications, as unregulated use may hinder healthy mourning by fostering an escapist "parallel reality" that denies the finality of death. The rise of the so-called Digital Afterlife Industry highlights the commercialization of AI-generated posthumous interactions. These services, trained on a deceased person's data, can produce eerily lifelike but unpredictable outputs that risk misrepresentation or emotional harm. Philosophers like Daniel Dennett (2023) caution that such "counterfeit people" threaten human autonomy and truth, as AI-generated personas may distort legacies or exploit vulnerabilities. Against this background, the chapter examines religious and transhumanist perspectives. While religions offer metaphysical comfort, transhumanism proposes technological transcendence, advocating for human enhancement or uploads of what seems like digital consciousness. However, philosophers like Paula Boddington (2025) argue that disembodied existence remains speculative, as identity and agency are deeply tied to physicality. In its conclusion the article questions whether digital afterlife technologies fulfill humanity's ancient desire for immortality or merely complicate grief and ethical boundaries. It calls for critical reflection on how we wish to be remembered and whether AI should mediate that memory. While these innovations may offer solace, they also demand rigorous ethical oversight to prevent exploitation, historical distortion, or the erosion of human dignity in the face of mortality.

The chapter on "AI and Psychotherapy" explores the potential and limitations of artificial intelligence in psychotherapeutic settings. While AI-driven tools already supplement mental health care and offer structured exercises and immediate support, their role remains controversial, especially when used outside of professional support. These programs, trained on datasets of dialogues and everyday language scraped from the internet, simulate empathy but lack genuine understanding, which raises ethical and practical concerns. The chapter highlights the growing demand for psychotherapy amid a shortage of human practitioners, positioning AI as a possible stopgap. General-purpose chatbots are accessible, non-judgmental, and available around the clock, appealing to users who may prefer digital interactions over human-to-human therapy. However, their reliance on statistical patterns leads to "hallucinations" that may, in some instances, even cause tragic outcomes. Such risks emphasize the need for regulation and transparency, particularly given the sensitivity of mental health data. Central to the chapter's debate is whether AI systems - including programs designed and approved for psychotherapeutic purposes - can replicate the nuanced, empathetic therapist-patient relationship which is an essential component of effective psychotherapy. While such systems may assist with administrative tasks, they cannot interpret complex emotional narratives or adapt to individual needs like human therapists can. The chapter cautions against overreliance on AI, arguing that its use should be supplementary, not substitutive, in order to preserve the human elements of care. The authors advocate for a balanced approach: AI may alleviate workloads but cannot replace the depth of human interaction. Ethical considerations, such as accountability for AI-generated advice and the protection of vulnerable patients, remain unresolved. The chapter concludes that while AI has a role in modern psychotherapy, its limitations must be acknowledged to ensure patient well-being and maintain the integrity of professional therapeutic practice.

This chapter on "AI and Visual Worlds" examines the disruptive impact of AI-generated imagery on perceptions of authenticity, authorship, and creativity, opening with the viral image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket (2023) as a case study. Created via Midjourney, this image, which initially was perceived as real, exposed the fragility of photography’s documentary function, as its uncanny details (e.g., distorted hands) revealed its synthetic origins. This incident points at broader tensions: who authors such images - the prompt engineer, the AI’s developers, or the invisible artists whose works trained the model? The chapter traces how generative AI recombines datasets of existing visual media, often without consent or compensation, to produce statistically plausible yet fictitious outputs. While earlier technologies like Photoshop already challenged photographic truth, AI accelerates the collapse of fact and simulation. Philosophically, the text interrogates the nature of images, citing Merleau-Ponty’s (1948) and Boehm’s (1994) arguments that visual representations interpret rather than merely replicate reality. AI-generated images may reflect human and societal desires while simultaneously eroding trust in visual media. The chapter is critical of a "post-truth" landscape where such images, harmless as they may appear when seen in isolation, mirror the manipulative potential of disinformation. Technological dominance raises existential questions: are humans, as Günther Anders (1980) feared, becoming mere "shepherds of objects" in relation to algorithmic systems? The proliferation of AI tools risks reducing creativity to repetitive prompting, yet also invites reflection on human agency. If AI mirrors human aesthetics, does it reveal or constrain our imaginative capacity? The chapter concludes that the ethical and ontological challenges of AI-generated imagery demand a reassertion of human responsibility. The core question shifts from "What is an image?" to "What vision of humanity do these images project?", a query that emphasizes the urgency of defining AI's role in shaping cultural narratives.

This textbook chapter on "AI and Music" looks at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and popular soundworks, tracing the evolution of music consumption, the role of algorithms in shaping musical preferences, and the emerging impact of AI on music production. It shows how algorithms analyze user behavior, mood, and demographic data to predict and influence musical tastes. Streaming services, leveraging vast datasets, now dominate music distribution and heavily rely on AI to categorize songs by genre, tempo, emotional tone, etc., thereby creating highly personalized listening experiences. However, this individualization comes at a cost: users are reduced to data points and their preferences are commodified within a framework of surveillance capitalism, as theorized by Shoshana Zuboff (2019). The opaque algorithms of platforms like Spotify not only shape listening habits but also exploit user data for profit, raising ethical concerns about autonomy and privacy. Likewise, even beyond consumption, AI is transforming music creation. Programs like Suno and Udio generate seemingly original compositions based on textual prompts, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity. While these tools enable novel forms of expression, they also pose challenges to intellectual property, as AI often trains on copyrighted works without consent or compensation for original artists. Thus the proliferation of AI-generated music risks devaluing human artistry, potentially leading to self-referential loops where AI perpetuates its own outputs. The chapter concludes by questioning the societal and ethical implications of these trends and invites readers to reflect on whether AI in music addresses genuine needs or merely accelerates the commodification of creativity.

This textbook chapter ("AI, Truth, and Disinformation") explores the interplay between artificial intelligence (AI), concepts of truth, and the spread of disinformation, and illustrates the risks and ethical challenges posed by generative AI systems. The text examines the broader implications of AI-generated content, which often draws from vast sets of training data that include misinformation, propaganda, and fringe theories. Large Language Models (LLMs) synthesize these inputs into (seemingly) plausibly structured responses, but their outputs are not inherently truthful. The chapter critiques the notion of AI as a neutral authority, emphasizing that these systems are "stochastic parrots" (Bender et al. 2021) that by and large merely replicate textual patterns without comprehension. This raises concerns about the erosion of truth in the digital age, where so-called "alternative facts" and deliberate disinformation blend seamlessly with credible information. The chapter goes on to argue that the burden of distinguishing truth from falsehood lies with humans. While AI can be a tool for efficiency, its misuse risks deepening a "post-truth" era. The solution demands active engagement: cultivating skepticism, ethical awareness, and the willingness to interrogate information - qualities that define human intelligence, unlike the superficial mimicry of AI. The responsibility to uphold truth, the textbook chapter concludes, remains firmly in human hands.

This introductory chapter ("System: < thinking >. Really?") to a textbook on the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) explains the complex concept of AI by critically examining its definition, capabilities, and societal implications. The discussion points out societal disruptions caused by AI, particularly in communication and democracy. Algorithmic social media, for instance, undermine truth-based discourse, while the term "slop" captures the proliferation of AI-generated misinformation. Eventually, the chapter advocates for a critical, ethically grounded engagement with AI, stressing that its integration into daily life necessitates new frameworks for responsibility. While AI may assist in tasks, human agency in thinking, writing, and decision-making remains irreplaceable.

Artificial intelligence has long become a reality and presents us with new, complex ethical questions: How does AI reshape our understanding of humanity? Who bears responsibility for autonomous decisions? What are the implications of AI for media and culture, the world of labour, politics, sustainability, and surveillance? What impact does robotics have on human beings and psychological well-being? This volume provides concise answers and solid foundational knowledge on ethics in the context of apparently 'intelligent' machines. Through practical case studies, supporting materials, and reflective questions, the book is ideally suited as a didactic guide for use in schools and higher education.

Knowledge work is increasingly shaped by generative artificial intelligence (AI), raising questions about how employees perceive the value of their own contribution when AI supports cognitive and creative tasks. Based on ten in-depth interviews with employees who regularly use generative AI at work and analyzed using Mayring's Qualitative Content Analysis, this study explores these perceptions. The findings indicate that participants perceived generative AI as an augmentative rather than substitutive technology. Although AI increasingly supported cognitive and creative work, participants continued to perceive their contribution as valuable. Rather than being linked to independently completing tasks, valuable human contribution was increasingly associated with judgement, contextual interpretation, responsibility, and the critical evaluation and integration of AI-generated outputs. The findings suggest that generative AI reshapes rather than diminishes perceptions of the value of human contribution in knowledge work.

This chapter presents a philosophical exploration of digital transformation through the lens of "upcycling" established philosophical concepts – specifically, "Denkfiguren" (figures of thought) – to critically engage with the societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI). The authors argue that while AI-driven technologies provoke polarized discourses that range from techno-utopian optimism to dystopian fears, these debates often lack productive dialogue due to entrenched positions. To overcome this, they propose a methodological shift: reactivating classical philosophical frameworks such as the Platonic dialogue not as static doctrines but as dynamic tools for contemporary inquiry. The central argument is that philosophical figures of thought, such as Günther Anders' "Objekthirte" (shepherd of objects) or the concept of Daniel C. Dennett’s "counterfeit people", offer a powerful basis for analyzing the human condition in the age of AI. These figures are not merely metaphors but serve as cognitive frameworks that may help to make sense of complex, ambiguous phenomena. The authors illustrate this through three fictional dialogues modeled on Plato’s dialogic form, which serve as vehicles for exploring tensions between human agency and technological mediation. In the first dialogue, Anders' "shepherd of objects" figure is invoked to critique the loss of human autonomy in AI-mediated environments, where individuals become passive maintainers, or "waiters", of systems they no longer control. The second dialogue introduces Dennett's "counterfeit people" concept, highlighting the ethical and epistemic dangers of indistinguishable AI agents that erode trust and manipulate human interaction. The third dialogue, taking place among three fictitious young philosophers, examines authorship in the context of AI and contrasts claims of empowerment through AI tools with concerns about cognitive dependency and the erosion of authentic creativity. The chapter concludes that these dialogues, fictional as they are, demonstrate the enduring value of philosophical discourse as a method for navigating uncertainty. By engaging in open, non-strategic, and maieutic dialogue, participants may co-construct understanding across disciplinary boundaries. The authors advocate for a renewed commitment to face-to-face, dialogic inquiry as a counterbalance to the increasingly mediated and algorithmically driven communication of the digital age. Ultimately, they argue that ‘upcycling’ philosophical figures of thought enables a more nuanced, ethically grounded, and collectively responsible approach to the challenges posed by AI.

This chapter analyzes why fake news and conspiracy narratives have been able to embed themselves in much of digital everyday life. To this end, it will trace how concepts of truth have increasingly faltered in modernity, as well as the epistemic consequences of a resulting crisis of truth. The chapter’s central claim is that disinformation, lies, fake news and related phenomena are expressions of a nihilistic attitude in society. Focusing particularly on conspiracy narratives, right-wing populist media messages, and constructs of the untrue, the article details the extent to which shocks to the presuppositions of knowledge, and a pervasive nihilism based on kitsch – the sticky falsehood that seems so attractive – are identifiable as a system of posttruth that is by now deeply engrained in society.

In a large municipality in the Ruhr region, Germany's Rust Belt, a civic association established a public bookcase. Within a few months, the operator began stamping the deposited books as "loaned items" in an effort to prevent their resale, prompted by social media speculation about "looters" who allegedly took out excessive numbers of books. This internal neighbourhood discourse, mediated through digital platforms, escalated rapidly. The case exemplifies the local actors' inability to accurately assess the situation, particularly evident in their public condemnation of others for allegedly violating labelling norms. This misjudgment, compounded by counterfactual claims, results in an excessive and disproportionate critique. Such hyperbolic reactions obstruct most participants from recognising ethically appropriate conduct. At the core of this outraged debate lies a self-centered moralism that reflects broader societal tendencies toward exclusion or polarisation. The devalued books metaphorically represent marginalised individuals ("looters"). Through a reconstructive and systematic analysis grounded in ethical and economic theoretical frameworks, this chapter traces the dynamics of this discourse step by step.

This introduction to the Global Media Journal – German Edition’s Special Section on content moderation critically examines the governance challenges of regulating online content in the digital age. It argues that the removal of content deemed illicit, detrimental or otherwise unacceptable by established standards is often framed as neutral gatekeeping even though it operates within contested power dynamics that lack rigorous and sound frameworks to assess its real-world impacts on freedom of expression, safety, and social justice. The authors highlight historical parallels to pre-modern censorship struggles following the invention of the printing press, emphasising that digital public spheres require forms of robust civility, not mere technical fixes. Current practices of content moderation reveal deep tensions: platforms increasingly employ automated systems for this endeavour, yet this risks amplifying harmful content and creating ethical dilemmas, while low-wage, high-stress labour conditions for human moderators (“clickworkers”) expose systemic exploitation. The Special Section addresses these gaps through four case studies.

With the arrival of image generators based on artificial intelligence (AI), human image creation has been increasingly supplemented by machine-driven, automated technological operations. Drawing on sources from media theory (McLuhan, Flusser) and philosophy of technology (Heidegger, Anders), this chapter queries what an image is, analyses technology-based image generation, proposes a new understanding of ‘imagistic’ images, contextualises them in the debate about truth and kitsch, and finally sketches an idea of the changed anthropological role of humans as ‘shepherds of objects’ in processes of technological image generation. The latter appears as a program that we can call an affordance, i.e., a human−technology relationship based on imperatives that are gradually setting in and get normalised through habituation in everyday life-worlds. For humans, the shame of having ceded command to machines that are so highly proficient in pasting together and churning out images so highly unreliable might be persistent.

In the context of digitalization, processes of constant data evaluation are increasingly influencing people's identity/identities. In digitality, people act from within a subject position that can be understood as increasingly ‘relational’ (i.e., permanently linked with others) and thus also determined by others. This pattern induced by information technology has become an anthropological phenomenon in its own right and represents a challenge for philosophy. This chapter gives an overview of humans' somewhat diminished individuality, or their perception thereof, in the age of digitality with its all-abundant processes of data analysis and hence categorization, looks at human identities and how they are negotiated in digital contexts, and analyzes what forms of socialization and dominion are invoked.

This case study on the use of robotic and AI systems in care work contexts presents scenarios of the partial transfer of responsibility from (mostly non-professional) careworkers to machine entities. On the basis of a qualitative analysis of a non-representative sample of eight in-depth interviews with people nursing relatives at their homes, five scenarios are introduced that address different degrees of technologization in care ranging from purely human/manual care work to the integrated use of humanoid robots with AI support. The interviewees provide complex answers that outline varying concepts of everyday ethics pertaining to the use of digital and robotic systems in curative and nursing contexts. The results point at ethical challenges for people providing care work and deepen debates on gradual diffusions of responsibility.

This volume looks into ethical principles for the integration of robotic and digital tools in medicine, healthcare and nursing and presents related case studies. Following up on integrated ethical perspectives in these fields has become urgent as innovations in digital and robotic systems are rapidly integrating themselves into new areas of use, particularly when linked with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The ELSI approach (ethical, legal and social implications) has established itself as a standard for analyzing the complex challenges, opportunities and risks of new technological applications. It is to be recommended in the development phase as well as in subsequent evaluation processes, especially when combined with a screening and assessment tool (SAT) that is integrated into research and technology development.

"Final sentences" of literary texts are often overshadowed by the much-discussed beginnings of those texts, even though the former are no less important. They can also be found as final notes in music. One famous example is the dramatic piano chord in E major at the end of the piece "A Day in the Life", the last track on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album (1967). It concludes a thematically and musically varied song that takes the listener through the highs and lows of a typical day by presenting associative peculiarities and oddities from newspaper coverage. The final chord follows an elongated orchestral orchestral glissando and a dramatic pause of about one second. It fades out for about 40 seconds. Such a finale was extremely unusual for a work of pop music at the time. It refers to the composer duo Lennon/McCartney's preoccupation with contemporary avant-garde music as well as themes such as alienation in modernity and changing perceptions of reality. The dramatic final chord of "A Day in the Life" not only hints at a kind of "avant-gardization" of the Beatles' output, at least in part, but is also a conceptual reference back to a reduction of sound and the origin or essence of music. At the same time, this final chord confronts listeners, in an almost brutal way, with the illusion of a life lived meaningfully. Plans and concepts that people might be pursuing are shattered, or end abruptly: in vain or in a deep void. The final chord of "A Day in the Life" can thus also be read as a nihilistic memento mori.

This chapter examines the ethical challenges posed by the increasing spread of artificial intelligence (AI) in people's everyday lives. The authors emphasize that despite the growing presence of AI systems, there is often insufficient understanding of how they function, which leads to sometimes unrealistic representations in the media oscillating between utopianism on one end of the scale and dystopian portrayals on the other. Following a critical examination of the concept of AI and its development, the authors emphasize the need for an AI ethics that develops a grounded vision of the good life and the good society in the digital age. They point out that important ethical principles such as freedom, autonomy, justice, transparency and responsibility must be taken into account when using AI. The article stresses that, despite all technological advances, human judgment and ethical reflection remain indispensable in order to shape the development and use of AI systems responsibly.

From the perspective of digital ethics, this book chapter outlines a model for dealing with the challenges posed by digital media environments in a responsible and appropriate manner. This concept is based on preliminary considerations of “digital citizenship”. At a time when digital technologies - the “data-sphere” - are being increasingly implemented and intensified, the question of humans' roles and skills in using these digital technologies in a sensible and meaningful way is becoming more and more urgent. In the age of European Enlightenment, Western societies had already assigned a central role to people's maturity, which was to be achieved fundamentally through literacy and education in order to create free individuals and, ultimately, citizens capable of making decisions. In contrast, in the current age of digitality, characterized by networking and immersion that has prevailed since the 1990s, many people experience and participate in such life-worlds primarily as consumers. In this role, they increasingly appear as economic objects that are constantly encouraged to produce data sets. Social networking sites and applications of generative artificial intelligence in particular exert a certain pull, the functioning of which many people are at best instrumentally proficient in, but not reflexively. Against this background, Zöllner's article outlines the contours of the concept of "digital citizenship" from an ethical perspective. This form of citizenship should enable people to lead a free life in digital and networked environments in which they are not merely subject to the exploitation interests of digital corporations.

This book chapter analyzes the marketing of luxury consumer goods (in particular, cosmetics) in the context of questions pertaining to authenticity, simulation, and the self in meta-modernity. It is based on case studies from Germany and East Asia, where a luxury brand company had set up pop-up stores in the guise of convincing-looking record shops, cafés and club situations in which semi-fake vinyl discs (with glossy fantasy sleeves printed just for the occasion, and the vinyl grooves being either 'empty' or containing royalty-free formulaic sounds) served as mere props for creating some notion of hipness and inviting visitors to take pictures of themselves. The article scrutinizes how high-priced cosmetics are marketed for urban, trend-oriented target groups, what role totemistic mock-up records and social media's image worlds - the "selfie culture" - play in this process, and what insights about the consumer self in modernity can be deduced from such simulations.

The chapter "Zen-Buddhist Approaches" in the Digital Ethics handbook (Nomos Handbuch series) introduces a concept for applying ideas and maxims from Zen Buddhism to digitality, and the subdiscipline of digital ethics in particular, in a non-religious and critical way. It places Zen Buddhism in modernity by drawing on Byung-Chul Han's "The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism" (2022; original German edition 2002) and uses that work's main chapters – "A Religion without God", "Emptiness", "No one", "Dwelling nowhere", "Death" and "Friendliness" – as a structure for identifying key phenomena of modern, 'digitizing' society such as the gradual replacement of linear-hierarchical relationships; the massive and yet invisible presence of digitality; overcoming ego and desire; renouncing one's self as a form of property and self-presentation; finitude and flexibility; and selfless open-mindedness; all of this illustrating, by way of a multitude of examples, Zen Buddhism's concept of learning to live with paradoxes, an idea that is certainly worthwhile pursuing in digital modernity.

The chapter "Confucian Approaches" as part of the Digital Ethics handbook (Nomos Handbuch series) is an introduction to Confucian thought models applied to phenomena of digitality that are critically viewed from the perspective of digital ethics. After a general introduction of the relevance of non-European thought models for grasping the modern world, the book chapter looks at political, cultural and technological disruptions in antiquity that may serve as a blueprint for understanding contemporary changes and ruptures. This critical assessment is followed by an outline of Confucianism's concept of virtues and humans' position in society. Subsequently, Confucianist principles in online and offline contexts and their related practices are discussed and linked to current political debates such as the People's Republic of China's recent rediscovery, and instrumentalization, of Confucianism as a tool of power both domestically and in the international arena.

This chapter in the Digital Ethics handbook provides an overview and systematization of what digital diplomacy - a subdiscipline of public diplomacy employing social media and other digital tools - is about, and links such practices to models of (digital) ethics. It places public diplomacy within the context of 'soft power' and the ethics of international/global communication and subsequently develops a framework for analyzing digital diplomacy proper. In particular, the ethical concepts of the 'noosphere' and 'noopolitik' are critically assessed and applied to various examples, focusing on key values such as liberty and democracy.

The Digital Ethics handbook (Nomos Handbuch series) provides an overview of the challenges and specifics of ethics in the context of digitality. Renowned experts contribute chapters on I) Philosophical perspectives and theoretical approaches to digital ethics, II) Values of digital ethics, III) Discourses of digital ethics on related phenomena, IV) Systems and technologies of digital ethics, V) Fields of practice of digital ethics. With contributions by: Regina Ammicht Quinn | Ben Bachmair | Klaus Beck | Kathi Beier | Dieter Birnbacher | Dagmar Borchers | Stefan Brink | Peter Bröckerhoff | Rafael Capurro | Hans-Henrik Dassow | Jan Doria | Nicola Döring | Alexander Filipović | Christian Fuchs | Rüdiger Funiok | Maike Gossen | Petra Grimm | Armin Grunwald | Björn Haferkamp | Martin Hähnel | Jessica Heesen | Martin Hennig | Clarissa Henning | Michel Hohendanner | Dietmar Kammerer | Matthias Karmasin | Antonia Kempkens | Nina Köberer | Vanessa Kokoschka | Hans Krah | Larissa Krainer | Susanne Kuhnert | Jan Mehlich | Catrin Misselhorn | Julia Maria Mönig | Regina Müller | Sebastian Müller | Horst Niesyto | Claudia Paganini | Matthias Pfeffer | Marlis Prinzing | Lars Rademacher | Tilman Santarius | Christian Schicha | Marcel Schlegel | Stefan Selke | Ingrid Stapf | Kai Erik Trost | Nicole van Geel | Frederike van Oorschot | Eduardo Villanueva-Mansilla | Eva Weber-Guskar | Verena Weigand | Micha H. Werner | Klaus Wiegerling | Christiane Woopen | Oliver Zöllner

By way of an introduction, this chapter analyzes social networking sites on three levels: the micro level of individuals, the meso level of corporations and the macro level of social processes and effects. At the first level, it is above all the 'affordances' of social media, i.e. their functions shaping and emphasizing their uses, that is problematic and can invoke a loss of autonomy. At the meso level, corporate business models give rise to problems of data protection and surveillance. Using social media may seem free, but users pay with their data and are thus transformed from customers to products - a dehumanizing process. On the societal level, processes of disinformation become prominent in an overarching system of 'surveillance capitalism' (Zuboff 2019), and the increasing heteronomy of users can impair democratic decision-making. The article concludes by outlining ethically based approaches to how digital technologies could be shaped in the future.

This chapter analyzes a pivotal music production – British band Radiohead's seminal album "OK Computer" (1997) – as a document of its time and contemporaneity, focusing on its modes of reflection of attitude and practice from a philosophical perspective. After scrutinizing the details of the album's production values, music, lyrics, and artwork, the article distils the 'habitus' of the work and compares it with related musical documents. These findings of reconstructive social research are subsequently deepened with insights from reconstructive ethics, the similarities and overlaps of which are pointed out. It is argued that the Radiohead album retrospectively appears as a clairvoyant document of anger and despair voiced in an evolving setting of the dehumanization, exploitation, and subjugation of human beings in a world increasingly dominated by corporate and technological power, formulated at a time when large-scale digitalization was still in its infancy. The frequent vagueness of the songs and their lyrics, their ambiguity and indecision, reveal their inherent nihilistic tendencies. Radiohead's "OK Computer" summarizes what 1997 felt like and reflects a transformation process towards digitalized practices that is by no means complete even 20 or 25 years later.

In the context of digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI), data protection and digital ethics are trending topics. However, they are rarely considered in conjunction even though they are inextricably linked. This volume sets out to close this gap. Informational self-determination is an expression of a European understanding of values, particularly with regard to smart technologies and AI applications. In addition to socially relevant dimensions of data protection and digital ethics, the authors of this edited collection point out and analyze the influences of networked technologies on the experience and manipulation of modern reality and its rootedness in the everyday.