Digitalization permeates vast areas of human life. It bears both opportunities and risks for human coexistence, the consequences of which cannot adequately be assessed in many areas today. Yet one thing is certain: Digitalization is accompanied by profound processes of change. With its research area “Humans in the Digital Age”, the University of Klagenfurt endeavours to make a decisive contribution to generating scientific knowledge about humankind in the digital age.

The focus will not be restricted solely to the human or the individual in her or his institutional or professional context. We also aim to examine how the individual fares within the social setting in his or her private and daily life under the shifting conditions of the digital age. However, it is not only the case that the life of humans is changed by technology, the reverse is also true: Human modes of behaviour and daily routines influence the demands for technological solutions and consequently have the potential to trigger further innovations and transformations. Therefore, the guiding theme adopts a perspective directed at the human and human behaviours, in which technical and non-technical aspects are interwoven. In other words: The guiding theme reflects a social science and cultural studies view, which also incorporates technological and engineering perspectives.