Dr. Michal Frackowiak
What does the theme "Conflict & Cooperation" mean to you?
When I first heard the theme for Forum Basiliense 2026 call, my brain went immediately to my field of research and its current state, though the dynamic is illustrated in a somewhat figurative, even metaphorical manner. It feels like in psychology, we circulate between the positive and the negative mechanisms, and for every positive mechanism, research and public tend to find three corresponding negative mechanisms. In psychology and other social sciences, negativity bias is thriving and well, and many times it leads to research artefacts that prevent us from understanding how the human mind actually responds to different stimuli. The overall tone may imply that the negative mechanisms are more important or salient than the positive ones, but this may just be the way we construct narrative and are driven by the negativity, both as researchers and as a general public. In reality, I believe that positive and negative mechanisms largely co-exist and are not mutually exclusive, and ratio between the two can vary, and the negative do not always dominate. This is what the theme 'conflict and cooperation' means to me as a psychology researcher.
How does this theme play a role in your work?
This meaning is inevitably reflected in research experience and the area of interest. In my research, I concentrate on the psychological aspects of technology and media use. During my doctorate, I worked specifically on the use of smartphones in interactions and its impact on relational aspects, whereas currently, I work on broader media use and its impact on individuals' daily routines, notably sleep and restorative functions. In both areas, technology is often blamed for creating conflict, whether it is disrupting face-to-face conversations or ruining a good night’s sleep. However, my work looks at both sides of the coin. I study how media can simultaneously cause disruption and offer a way to relax, connect, or unwind. Instead of treating tech as purely bad or purely good, I look at how these positive and negative effects happen at the same time. By tracking how these two interact in daily life, I want to find a more balanced, accurate picture of how we live with screens.
What project(s) will you be working on during your fellowship at the Forum Basiliense?
I have struck a collaboration with Prof. Dr. Lara Wolfers, who joined UNIBAS in 2025 and opened a new lab "Digital Lives" in the Faculty of Psychology. During the fellowship, we will be working on a project towards which we collected the data from 150 Swiss and German in July 2026. Our main premise is exploring to what extent parents and children evaluate family harmony based on the role media (e.g., video content, games, smartphones) play in their household, as defined in the fellowship theme, conflictual role (e.g, disruptive use) or cooperative role (e.g., co-use that facilitates family bonding). The project goals and hypotheses have been pre-registered and are available for the public to read. Additionally, I will be taking part in Digital Lives colloquia, where I will present my research and work with Master students. I will also provide guest lectures in Prof. Wolfers's course on technology use in contemporary society.