This course explores the profound transformation of marketing in the digital age, with a particular focus on the societal implications of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). Students will examine how digital platforms, data-driven marketing, automation, and generative AI are reshaping consumer behavior, organizational practices, communication, and the broader social fabric.
Beyond technological and managerial perspectives, the course critically investigates the social, ethical, and psychological consequences of digital marketing transformation. Topics include the impact of AI and algorithmic systems on employment and workforce structures, deskilling and automation, AI-driven decision-making, digital inequality, surveillance capitalism, and the changing nature of human creativity and labor. In addition, the course addresses the societal effects of social media ecosystems, including addictive platform design, misinformation, attention economies, mental health challenges, polarization, and the influence of recommendation algorithms on public discourse and consumer behavior.
- Lehrende:r: Sascha Alavi