At first glance, technology and social work seem like two topics that do not have much in common. However, social work is always closely linked to technological progress, as this repeatedly leads to processes of transformation in people's lives.

Technological progress poses challenges for social work on several levels: it is confronted with its own organisational technologisation, the mediatised living environments of its target groups, and the socio-technical interactions between humans and machines. In addition, social work is faced with the question of how it can accompany technologically driven transformation processes in order to protect human rights and needs. Despite the diverse processes of technologisation, digitalisation and mediatisation in social work, research into the influences and consequences, the potential and the limits of possible applications of digital-technological transformations in social work, as well as the teaching of these topics in university curricula, are underrepresented.

The research network therefore focuses on promoting and focusing research on technologisation, digitalisation and mediatisation in the discipline and profession of social work. The research network was founded by the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Berlin, the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Centre for Constructive Education Sciences e.V.

An open discourse on the topics will take place in the form of an online lecture series/colloquium, in which insights from theory and practice will be discussed. The network members will supervise theses across universities, test cooperative courses and publish an anthology that will reflect the current discourse on the topic. In addition, the network is to be expanded beyond its founding members.

• Conducting an online lecture series (dates)
• Supervising inter-university theses
• Conducting cooperative courses
• Publishing an anthology (Digitalisation in Social Work)
• Expanding the research network

Späte, J., Stix, D. C., Endter, C., & Krauskopf, K. (Hrsg.). (2024). #GesellschaftBilden im Digitalzeitalter – Institutionsübergreifende Forschungsentwicklung zur Digitalisierung in der Sozialen Arbeit: Bericht über die Pilotphase des Digitalisierungsforschungsnetzwerks Nordost. https://doi.org/10.34678/opus4-3494

Späte, J., Stix, D. C., Endter, C., & Krauskopf, K. (Hrsg.). (2025). #GesellschaftBilden im Digitalzeitalter: Perspektiven Sozialer Arbeit auf technologische Herausforderungen. Münster: Waxmann https://www.waxmann.com/buecher/%23GesellschaftBilden-im-Digitalzeitalter