Author: Dr. Stephan Pflaum

Teaser When AI companies claim to dematerialize commerce and liberate knowledge, sociologist Saskia Sassen reminds us to follow the actual command nodes: global cities harbor the algorithmic mathematics, legal assemblages, and logistics that power “intelligent” systems—while producing new geographies of… read more / weiterlesen Saskia Sassen and the Infrastructure of AI: Where Global Cities Meet Algorithmic Expulsions

Zwischen den Jahren entsteht oft ein besonderer Freiraum. Die Uni pausiert, der Alltagsstress lässt nach, und plötzlich ist da Zeit – Zeit, die Du bewusst für Dich und Deine persönliche Weiterentwicklung nutzen kannst. Statt in die Hektik der Vorlesungszeit oder… read more / weiterlesen Die Feiertage zur Selbstreflexion nutzen

A Journey 12/08 – 12/14/25 Through the Socioloverse.AI Network Teaser What connects women soccer players balancing elite careers with doctoral studies, Gollum’s fractured conversations with himself, Caribbean Voodoo possession rituals, and our daily interactions with ChatGPT? They’re all windows into… read more / weiterlesen When Identity Fragments, Society Reveals Itself

Teaser Every society constructs its own relationship with altered consciousness—from sacred rituals to pathologized addiction. What we call “intoxication” reveals not just neurochemical processes, but how cultures define reality itself. From Durkheim’s collective effervescence to Freud’s cocaine experiments, from Balinese… read more / weiterlesen The Social Significance of Intoxication: Reality Construction, Ritual, and Cultural Meaning

Teaser Medical dramas captivate millions globally, transforming hospital corridors into stages where life, death, and human drama unfold. From Grey’s Anatomy’s sprawling narratives to The Good Doctor’s autism representation, these shows do more than entertain—they construct our understanding of medicine,… read more / weiterlesen Why Medical Dramas Fascinate Us: A Sociological Analysis of Grey’s Anatomy, ER, and Hospital Television

Teaser During the last Women’s European Championship, a comment was made that perfectly sums up the paradox of professional soccer: “She has a doctorate. That’s extraordinary.” The co-commentator dryly corrected her: “Perhaps extraordinary in men’s soccer. In women’s soccer, it’s… read more / weiterlesen Educated elite on the pitch: Why women’s soccer makes the structured double burden the norm

Teaser When is a joke funny—and when does it cross the line into cruelty? This question haunts every comedian, satirist, and social critic who wields humor as a weapon. From Dadaist provocations against war to contemporary debates about “punching up”… read more / weiterlesen The Social Construction of Laughter: How Power Dynamics Shape Satire, Irony & Humor

Teaser Taking the role of the other was once purely human territory. George Herbert Mead showed how children learn to construct a self by internalizing society’s expectations—the “generalized other”—through play, games, and symbolic interaction. Today, millions converse daily with AI… read more / weiterlesen When the “Generalized Other” Includes Machines: George Herbert Mead in the Age of AI

…sondern vielmehr eine gelungene Selbstreflexion mit konsequentem Handeln! Ich erinnere mich noch gut an das mulmige Gefühl, als ich nach vier Semestern Politikwissenschaft beschloss, den Studiengang zu wechseln. Soziologie sollte es werden. Vier Semester, zwei Jahre – das fühlte sich… read more / weiterlesen Ein Studiengangwechsel ist kein Scheitern…

„Kannst du mir bei meinem Praktikum helfen?” – „Ich suche einen Job in deiner Branche.” – „Hast du Kontakte, die mir weiterhelfen könnten?” Wenn Studierende sich für ein Mentoring-Programm anmelden, haben viele genau diese konkreten Erwartungen im Kopf. Sie hoffen… read more / weiterlesen Über die Selbstreflexion im Mentoringprozess

When Social Isolation and Obsession Split Identity—A Sociological Reading of Tolkien’s Most Tragic Character Teaser “My Precious” is more than a catchphrase—it’s a window into identity fragmentation under extreme social isolation. Sméagol and Gollum, two personalities inhabiting one body in… read more / weiterlesen “We Wants It, We Needs It”: Sméagol, Gollum, and the Sociological Fragmentation of Self

A Sociological Perspective on Multiple Personality Parts Teaser When social demands become unbearable, the self may fragment to survive. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)—formerly known as multiple personality disorder—is typically understood as a psychiatric condition rooted in severe childhood trauma. But… read more / weiterlesen When the Self Can No Longer Cope: A Sociological Reading of Dissociative Identity

December 2025 – From zombie apocalypses to soccer derbies to AI tools for research: In December, the six blogs of the “SocioloVerse.AI” network once again demonstrated how diverse and relevant sociological thinking is. Here is an overview of the most… read more / weiterlesen News from SocioloVerse.AI: 10 articles that show why sociology is everywhere

Teaser When families organize around addiction, they don’t just react—they construct entire systems of meaning, power, and identity. Co-dependency is not merely psychological pathology but a sociologically rich phenomenon where power asymmetries, role conflicts, and stigma management strategies intersect. This… read more / weiterlesen Beyond Enabling: A Sociological Analysis of Co-Dependency as Structural Arrangement

Teaser How do social systems produce, maintain, and potentially resolve patterns of addiction? While mainstream addiction research often focuses on neurobiology or individual psychology, systems-theoretic sociology offers a fundamentally different lens: addiction emerges not from isolated individuals but within complex… read more / weiterlesen Systems Theory and Addiction: From Parsons to Luhmann—A Sociological Systems Perspective

Der Dr.-Titel selbst mag außerhalb der Wissenschaft an Bedeutung verlieren. Aber die Skills, die Du während einer Promotion entwickelst, sind in jedem Beruf Gold wert. Warum promovieren einer Startup-Gründung ähnelt – und was Du dabei fürs Leben lernst. In meinem… read more / weiterlesen Wie ein kleines Startup: die Promotion!