5th Inaugural Lecture on Social Behaviours, Human Rights and Technology
The 5th IT:U Inaugural Lecture brought together scholars, industries, and the public to explore how societal norms shape behavior, how we experience rules in everyday life, and how human rights can be integrated into technology. Founding Professors Christian Hilbe and Ben Wagner led the session, each presenting powerful perspectives on the intersection of behavior, norms, and technology.
Dynamics of social behaviour – Prof. Christian Hilbe
Prof. Hilbe offered insights into how and why people cooperate, delving into the fundamental question: What drives our social decisions? Drawing on game theory, mathematical modeling, and behavioral experiments, his lecture unpacked the mechanics behind trust, reciprocity, and collaboration.
- Fairness in Heterogeneous Teams – What’s a fair way to divide workload in groups where people differ in both ability and motivation?
- How Social Norms Emerge and Evolve – This research explores, for example, how people form reputations, the role of gossip in social cohesion, and more.
- The Logic of Understatement – Why do people often find it important to appear humble and downplay their own achievements?
“There are so many important questions out there that can only be tackled by interdisciplinary collaborations across different fields. For example, when modeling the dynamics of human behavior, we build on the expertise of psychologists, economists, and philosophers, but we also need the tools from computer science, physics and mathematics.”
— Christian Hilbe, Professor for Game Theory and Evolutionary Dynamics
Changing the world is a measurement problem – Prof. Ben Wagner
Prof. Wagner’s research explored the interplay between human rights and technology. He addressed a crucial tension: as technology advances rapidly, how can we ensure that rights and justice aren’t left behind? His research contributes to several fields, with applications such as:
- Contributing to Policy: The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) – Prof. Wagner contributed to the development of the EU’s new transparency reporting rules under the DSA, adopted by the European Commission in November 2024. These regulations set new standards for how digital platforms report on moderation, algorithmic transparency, and user metrics—bringing real change to how online ecosystems are governed.
- Contributing to better design of online social spaces – This research helps improve the design of online social spaces, like forums or social networks, to reduce the level of hateful content without having to remove content through moderation.
- Contributing to better measurement of online (bah) behaviour – Since much of what happens online remains opaque—even to those responsible for addressing it—his work focuses on developing better ways to measure online harms and behaviours. This enables a deeper understanding of the challenges that exist and how they might be solved.
“Technology and Society research brings together different disciplinary perspectives to help understand the effects of technology on society, such as the question of how social networks influence human behaviour and society more broadly. Within technology and society focus, our specific focus on the law and policy allows us not just to study human behaviour, but also to understand which government measures are likely to be more or less effective.”
— Prof. Ben Wagner, Professor of Human Rights and Technology
Where Human Rights, Social Behaviour & Technology Connect
IT:U commits to advance interdisciplinary research—where law, social science & technology come together to shape more just, human-centered digital futures.
“Interdisciplinary fundamental research is important in order to understand the complex interconnections between social norms, human behavior, and technological development. While game theory investigates the logic behind decisions and shows how these shape our behavior, digital transformation puts our understanding of democracy and human rights to the test.”
– Stefanie Lindstaedt, IT:U Founding President
Our Upcoming Inaugural Lecture
Wrapping up our Inaugural Lecture Series, this final event explores how professional roles, collaboration, and digital transformation intersect in learning environments.
📅 29 April 2025: “(Inter-)Professional Transformations: Why Process Matters” – Sebastian Dennerlein, Assistant Professor for Digital Transformation in Learning