Are we consuming too much media? Where’s the time going?
How do Adlershof students and staff feel about their own communication behaviour and media consumption? A survey
Alina Ghoreschi (left), a psychology student in the fifth semester at Humboldt-University Berlin (HU), and Sara Memmel, a childcare worker and psychology student in the third semester at HU © WISTA Management GmbH
Stefan Hecht, professor at the Department of Chemistry at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) © WISTA Management GmbH
Elfi Herrmann, head of the advisory centre of the income tax assistance association Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe e. V., Adlershof © WISTA Management GmbH
Luis Abalo Rodríguez, astrophysicist at cosine GmbH © WISTA Management GmbH
Eva Unger, professor at the Department of Chemistry at HU and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin © WISTA Management GmbH
Stefan Sander, member of staff at HU’s Department of Chemistry © WISTA Management GmbH
We asked the students and staff at Adlershof’s research institutions and companies about how their communication behaviour, the way they deal with social media and their time perception has changed. One thing left us surprised: everyone was looking for more calm and focus.
Alina Ghoreschi, a psychology student in the fifth semester at Humboldt-University Berlin (HU), and Sara Memmel, a childcare worker and psychology student in the third semester at HU
How do you communicate and what has changed after COVID?
Sara Memmel: I feel like digital communication has become more normal. In our programme, say, we can still watch lectures that were recorded during COVID. Personally, I communicate via telephone, WhatsApp and, of course, in person.
Are you on social media?
Alina Ghoreschi: I don't use any social media channels. From where I stand, they are bad for my health. They are highly addictive, unnecessary time sinks, and create needs through placed advertising. I have made a conscious decision against using them.
Memmel: I’m on Instagram. I am a media literacy educator so I have TikTok on my phone and check it now and again to see what’s going on.
How is your perception of time and how do you deal with it?
Ghoreschi: I am currently working on my time management. I always take on too much and then get pressed for time. I’m trying to set better priorities. I even went to a seminar from the student services department.
Do you use artificial intelligence (AI) for communication?
Ghoreschi: When I study, I mostly use slides and books, but sometimes I will look something up on chatbots like ChatGPT. The responses are not always correct, so I wouldn’t use them as a primary source.
Stefan Hecht, professor at the Department of Chemistry at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU)
How do you communicate in your work and what has changed after COVID?
Stefan Hecht: I use virtual formats much more often now than before. The video format is one of them, for example, for the initial interview of a job application process. But when really important things are being discussed, nothing beats a personal impression.
How do you usually communicate?
Too much! Communication is an important part of our life. But many people are struggling with finding a balance between the necessity of communicating and the fact that they spend too much time doing it. We should strive for a culture where we communicate less but more efficiently.
What are your ways to stay healthy despite the flood of information?
I prioritise, but I have to get better at it. Personally, I don’t see multitasking as something desirable. Many people make this mistake. Better to focus and get one thing done properly
Do you use social media channels?
Definitely, because they tend to reach young people better than other channels. Our biggest challenge at the moment is to find qualified staff at every level. To get the young generation excited about science, we must be present and active on social media.
What is your perception of time?
It feels like I have less and less time?! In addition to a stronger focus, I must learn to say no more often and detach myself from things that, ultimately, are not that important.
For you, how important is it to communicate face-to-face?
Extremely important! There are two things that don’t work well virtually: building trust and being creative.
I notice that the process is so much more intense when the team is in the same room. The willingness of staff to get involved in the discussion process is lower virtually. The really important things happen in real life – and that’s a good thing!
Elfi Herrmann, head of the advisory centre of the income tax assistance association Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe e. V., Adlershof
How do you communicate at work?
Elfi Herrmann: Since the pandemic, many people don’t come to see us in person anymore. They just quickly drop their documents or send them via email. I usually answer follow-up questions by phone or videocall. That’s where I can have a chat with our clients. After all, our field does deal with rather personal subjects.
Are you on social media?
I use WhatsApp, but I have a hard time with the other channels. I think it might be due to my age. My two daughters, who too are part of the company, use it. LinkedIn, for example.
What is your perception of time?
Elfi Herrmann: At the moment, it feels like this: You arrive at your desk in the morning and in the evening you look at whether you’re to-do list has been ticked off or not. Then you keep adding to the list. That’s just the way it is.
And how do you deal with that?
When it gets too much, I just close my door for two days and don’t take phone calls to get the work done. Emails stay unanswered for a day. I have said to people: “I wouldn’t carry my letterbox with me all the time either.”
What do you think of AI?
I am not sure if I will use it, but I think highly of it.
Luis Abalo Rodríguez, astrophysicist at cosine GmbH
How do you communicate at work?
Luis Abalo Rodríguez: Our company is based in the Netherlands. Cosine Measurement Systems is developing a novel technology – silicon pore optics (SPO) – for "Athena", the largest X-ray telescope ever built, which will study phenomena in the universe for the European Space Agency (ESA). We use Element, an encrypted messenger service, and, of course, email.
What social media channels do you use?
Our company is active on Instagram and Twitter, LinkedIn and has a YouTube channel. I myself use Instagram and WhatsApp and nothing else.
Do you sometimes feel stressed by the information flood and how do you deal with it?
Yes, absolutely. If we don’t limit information, we can’t work productively. My rule is to turn off notifications from my apps. Call if it’s really important. On my personal WhatsApp, I have 20 groups and 200 messages a day – this is impossible to keep track of.
How important is working face-to-face to you?
It’s the basis of every learning process. If you develop something, like we do technology, you must work together as a team.
What do you think of AI?
I am intrigued by AI because it will completely change the way we understand reality. This goes all the way down to primary and secondary school. The kids there will have to learn to work with it. We need teachers who can teach them to! We must integrate AI into our lives.
Eva Unger, professor at the Department of Chemistry at HU and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
How do you communicate at work and how has it changed after the pandemic?
Eva Unger: Since COVID, we have increasingly been communicating online, and more and more business trips could also be replaced by online meetings. Especially if the contact has already been established and the meeting is primarily about exchanging information. However, it’s not easy to replace face-to-face networking when it comes to meeting new people. It’s moments like those short discussions during coffee breaks where new ideas are created.
How do you normally communicate?
Mostly via email because I like to have the paper trail. Sometimes on social media. It eats up a lot of time and sometimes I stop and think: I am not exactly doing what I would define as doing my work. There are many loose threads, things lead you astray, and many just don’t feel very productive.
How do you solve this?
By limiting time. I reserve about one hour per day for communication but that’s often not enough. I need more than 60% of my time for my research. The time during which I am not disturbed and can think about something in depth is the time most valuable to me.
What is your perception of time?
Since I had a child, I feel like I want to use the time I have effectively. It is important to learn how to articulate time constraints in a friendly way, preferably at the beginning of a conversation. How much time can I devote to this topic today? A timer also helps. To be honest, unfortunately, it doesn’t always work and stress is often the reality.
Stefan Sander, member of staff at HU’s Department of Chemistry
How do you communicate at work and how has it changed after COVID?
We stopped having Zoom meetings after COVID. As a rule, we use email. Maybe a phone call here and there. We don’t really do online meetings anymore. Presentations are done face-to-face.
What social media channels do you use?
I was born in 1991 and I feel like my generation tends to use WhatsApp. I send a lot of voice messages. COVID didn’t change that for me. I like using Strava. It’s a sports app that I use to track my physical activities and that helps me see other user’s road bike routes, for example, and connect with them. I guess, you could call that communication.
Do you feel stressed by the many new channels?
I have Instagram and I do sometimes find myself getting stuck there for longer than I’d like. When it gets too much, I go down this spiral and that isn’t healthy.
What are ways for you to stay healthy in the middle of this information flood?
Actually, I delete Instagram now and again. I deleted Twitter for good. I remember watching a video about the war in Ukraine and the algorithm would suggest the topic to me repeatedly. I could’ve spent an hour watching people die. That really got me down. In moments like these, it feels good to go outside.
For you, how important is it to communicate face-to-face?
Very important. In online meetings, I often found myself listening and watching, but the fact that I was in my own space made me more easily distracted. Face-to-face is better.
Jördis Götz for Adlershof Journal