This is a guest post by Annika Stöhr, Postdoctoral Researcher, Ilmenau University of Technology, and a visiting scholar at CREATe.
When I arrived in Glasgow in February 2026 for my research stay at CREATe, it was my very first time in the United Kingdom. Apparently, this was unusual enough that the border officer at passport control looked at me with genuine disbelief when I mentioned it. After a short exchange about why exactly someone would voluntarily visit Glasgow in February “for fun”, I was eventually allowed to enter the country – although the real test perhaps came only a few days later.
Relatively shortly after arriving, I was invited by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to participate in a discussion on their review of the approach to assessing rivalry-enhancing efficiencies in mergers. The meeting itself took place online, which somehow made the experience even more surreal: sitting alone in my Glasgow hotel room, facing what felt like an entire digital wall of CMA economists and lawyers discussing merger control and efficiencies. At times, it felt less like a policy discussion and more like a one-hour oral examination. I still am not entirely sure whether I passed, but at least I was apparently allowed to remain in the UK afterwards.
What I had to be for the “oral exam” disguised as policy exchange (and also an example of the beautiful Glasgow murals)
Beyond my general research focus on merger control and digital competition, my stay at CREATe focused specifically on the role of digital platforms and algorithmic intermediation in cultural and information markets. Across several interconnected projects, I explored how platform incentives, recommender systems, and visibility mechanisms shape competition, consumer behavior, and public discourse in the digital economy.
A central theme throughout the stay was the question of how algorithms structure attention and visibility. This ranged from analyzing strategic release and promotion strategies in music streaming markets – where large market actors compete for algorithmic prominence and user attention – to broader questions about the economics and regulation of recommender systems. In this context, I worked on the trade-offs between personalization, user autonomy, competition, and cultural diversity, while also beginning a new collaboration on the “value of algorithmic choice”: whether users derive value not only from algorithmic outcomes, but also from being able to choose between algorithms themselves.
What connects these projects is a broader interest in the economics of attention, platform power, and algorithmic governance. Discussions with the Glasgow team were particularly valuable in refining these ideas, connecting competition economics with media and cultural economics, and further developing both conceptual and empirical research strategies. What made the stay especially valuable, however, was not only the formal academic program, but the openness, warmth, and collegiality of the CREATe environment itself. I had the opportunity to present my research within the University of Glasgow’s Competition Law Talks series, where I spoke on “Merger Waves and the Limits of Isolated Control: A Dynamic Perspective”. Many thanks to Liana Japaridze and Konstantinos Stylianou for the kind invitation and the engaging discussion.
At the invitation of Magali Eben, I also contributed teaching to the LLM program through a guest lecture on “The Economics and Regulation of Algorithmic Recommender Systems in Creative Industries: The Case of #BookTok”. Discussing TikTok, publishing markets, algorithms, and attention economics with students from different legal backgrounds was one of the highlights of the stay and reflected the genuinely interdisciplinary spirit at CREATe. I am very grateful to Magali not only for the invitation to teach, but also for making the entire stay possible in the first place and for creating such a welcoming academic environment.
Another particularly enriching aspect was the possibility to attend courses and seminars led by colleagues in Glasgow. I especially appreciated the opportunity to join discussions in David Reader’s classes and seminars, which offered fascinating insights into UK competition policy and regulation – and proved extremely valuable for my ongoing work on sector investigations!
Beyond the formal academic activities, many of the most memorable and valuable conversations happened during coffee breaks, lunches, and informal discussions. I am especially grateful for the many great lunch and coffee dates with Liana, which ranged from discussions about platform regulation and creator economies to academic life, research cultures, and – inevitably – Scottish weather (I was foolish enough not to bring an umbrella to Glasgow). These conversations made the stay feel not only intellectually stimulating, but also genuinely welcoming and personal – and also created valuable opportunities for exchange beyond CREATe itself, especially through meetings and discussions (at times involving drinks) with colleagues from the University of Strathclyde (thank you Linus Hoffmann and Barry Rodger!).
Of course, no stay in Scotland would be complete without stepping away from work from time to time. During the visit, I managed to explore the wonderful city of Glasgow as well as both Edinburgh and parts of the Highlands, including a trip to Fort William. One particular highlight was attempting to climb Ben Nevis. Technically, I only made it halfway up before weather conditions, time constraints, and perhaps a realistic reassessment of my mountaineering abilities in snow convinced me that turning around was the economically rational decision. Still, even halfway up Ben Nevis offers a perspective that makes ongoing debates about algorithms and platform governance suddenly feel very far away. I will definitely be back for a full attempt.
Very proud of myself at the “Halfway Lochan” (which, according to Gemini, is only 2/5 of the way up!? – still taking it as a win, though)
Fittingly, the final full day of my stay coincided with the AI Regulation Early-Career Researchers Conference. It was a wonderful way to conclude the visit: discussing AI governance, digital regulation, and emerging research agendas with scholars from different disciplines and institutions once more highlighted how dynamic and interdisciplinary this research field has become. The conference, excellently organized by Qingqin Zhang, Weiwei Yi, Aline Iramina, and Gabriele Cifrodelli, created a particularly engaging and welcoming atmosphere for discussion and exchange among early-career researchers.
Overall, the visit provided not only an ideal setting to advance my research on digital platforms and cultural markets, but, most importantly, allowed me to meet wonderful colleagues and people who made the stay both academically enriching and personally unforgettable – and I was lucky enough to return to Glasgow already shortly afterwards: at the end of April, I came back to participate as a lecturer in the CREATe Spring School, giving a lecture on “Superstar Economics and the Role of Algorithms”. I would therefore like to sincerely thank everyone at CREATe, the University of Glasgow, and the wider Glasgow academic community who contributed to making this trip possible and so enjoyable.