Photo credit: re:publica/Gregor Fischer
Politics & Society
Reflections on the change of societies and political dynamics due to digitization are at the core of the re:publica programme. We are interested in shifting power balances, in societal change and civic digital action. At re:publica we want to talk about what we need to do for a free and open Internet and its relation to the shifting political paradigms on the continent. We want to explore the intersections of technology with politics and society.
In this track we will discuss surveillance technologies, data and privacy protection, e-privacy, Internet shutdowns and net neutrality. We will look at community networks, the effects of AI on society, digital disobedience, as well as new governance models aided by digital technologies.
We invite activists, civil society representatives, researchers and all persons with experience in these topics to help us examine the interplay of technology and society on a philosophical level as well as on the day-to-day basis. We’ll explore the opportunities of civic tech and debate the state of Internet freedom - based on your contributions. Questions we would like to see tackled e.g. include: How do social media platforms influence the shaping of political opinions? How are movements and communities for Internet freedom, digital democracy and open data developing? What social and legislative processes should be initiated to regulate an ever accelerating automation? Can the blockchain deliver on its promise of revolutionizing governance processes?
- Politics & SocietyCancel the ApocalypseCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-Polls and predictions could not foresee the wide appeal of voting for Brexit, for Trump, against the predictions, against the future that was set in the numbers. As worrisome as these phenomenons may be, we can see some hope in this turn against data-driven-determinism. How could we seize this call to action to reignite our political imagination and reclaim the future?
- Politics & SocietyCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-2017 war der Entwurf einer "Charta der Digitalen Grundrechte der Europäischen Union" eines der großen Themen auf der re:publica17. Seitdem hat der Kreis der Initiatoren die Kritikpunkte und Anregungen an dem Charta-Entwurf gesammelt und nach ausführlichen Diskussionen eine zweite überarbeitete Fassung der DigitalCharta beschlossen. Diese wird auf der re:publica2018 vorgestellt und diskutiert.
- Politics & SocietyTech for Good-In the coming years, the increasing automation of tasks will cost jobs whilst at the same time new job profiles emerge in the digital sector. This trend changes how people live and work worldwide and will disrupt major industries in developing countries. It truly is the end of work as we know it. So how can we ensure that developing countries will be fine? Is it enough to provide access and digital skills? We want to leverage partnerships and prepare governments to react to these developments.
[Partnersession] - Politics & SocietyCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-KlimawissenschaftlerInnen sind sich sicher: die Klimakrise ist menschengemacht. Trotzdem schaffen es Lobbygruppen, durch Desinformation Klimaschutzmaßnahmen zu torpedieren. Welche Strategien nutzen sie? Wie können wir dagegen vorgehen? Diese Fragen wollen wir mit Euch diskutieren.
- Politics & SocietyCancel the Apocalypse-Following Designing Tomorrow, re:publica’s multi-year collaboration with the Utopia festival and inspired by the talks on the Cancel the Apocalypse track we will embark on a collaborative experiment aimed at expanding our political imagination. Together we will learn methodologies and practice thinking in terms of plural “futures” rather than a single monolithic “future”. The workshop would be led by a team well versed in speculative political and creative practices. We’re looking forward to designing the futures with you.
- Politics & SocietyCancel the ApocalypseCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-Dystopian thinking has taken over our imagination. The world is burning, the fascists are spreading, the corporations are manipulating, the robots are rising, the asteroids are coming, the end is near. Cancel the Apocalypse.
- Politics & SocietyCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-Dass die neue Bundesregierung einen Schwerpunkt auf die Digitalisierung legen soll, darin sind sich die Parteien einig. Doch es geht um weit mehr als den Ausbau der digitalen Infrastruktur. Hat uns die Digitalisierung wirklich zu freieren Menschen gemacht und welche Bedingungen sind an die digitale Freiheit geknüpft? Worauf kommt es aus zivilgesellschaftlicher Perspektive an? Und wie können wir in einer digitalisierten Welt Autonomie (zurück)erobern?
[Partnersession] - Politics & SocietyMEDIA CONVENTION BerlinCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-When technology leads and society follows, unintended consequences – from fake news to bias in AI – are never far behind. In her keynote, Martha Lane Fox will talk about Doteveryone's mission to make responsible technology the new normal. She'll talk about why considering the ethical, social, and human impact of tech should be a fundamental part of design and delivery. She'll show how everyone, from industry to civil society to government, has a role to play. And she'll share her vision of the future – one where digital technologies are useful, trusted, and worth trusting.
- Politics & SocietyPOPCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-Kennen Sie das noch: Spaß?
Nein?
Wie lange denken Sie sich jetzt schon „das war mal besser, dieses Internet“? Wie lange schon starren Sie jetzt apathisch auf das kalte LCD-Display – die Mundwinkel hängen schlaff nach unten, ein mentales Wrack. Schiffbruch im Datenmeer.
Damit ist jetzt Schluss! Digitaler Frühjahrsputz wider dem crossmedialen Burnout! Raus aus der selbstverschuldeten digitalen Unmündigkeit! Wir zeigen Euch, wie das Internet endlich wieder Spaß machen kann! - Politics & SocietyWe Can Work It OutCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-Today few terms are more central to policy, planning, or economics then the term “resilience”. From urban planning to stress testing in economic markets, we have come to understand systems as constantly in a state of crisis that needs perpetual management. This talk traces the rise of resilience as a central epistemology and practice in environmental management, urban development, and finance. I will argue that resilience has become the dominant discourse by which time and uncertainty are currently being managed in computation, finance, and design. Moreover, resilience has become a new logic making the planet, and its living populations, computationally measurable and representable, and amenable to new forms of technical manipulation and action. This talk will be a whirlwind tour through the merger of cybernetics, ecology, and finance that are currently reshaping the planet from extraction infrastructures to smart cities.
- Politics & SocietyWe Can Work It OutCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-There has been much recent discussion about the impacts of new technology on work. There is a fear that robotics and computerization can displace and dislocate workers, and possibly lead to mass unemployment. While the technologies are new, this basic dynamic is hundreds of years old, going back at least to the industrial revolution.
The impact of automation on workers is often presented in a mechanical or deterministic way, as if technology determines economics. But really, the future of work in the context of automation is always a political question. - Politics & SocietyTech for GoodCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)-The international community has promised to eradicate hunger by 2030. During the last decade, numbers are declining, but current progress is too slow if this goal is to be reached. Welthungerhilfe is a pioneer in the use of digital innovations to scale up the fight against hunger. We would like to present two promising examples: the Child Growth Monitor App, which is designed to save children's lives using Augmented Reality, while the sharing economy app AgriShare connects smallholder farmers.
[Partnersession]