Tracks

At the core of the re:publica programme lie the debates and discussions on the ever-increasing pace of digitalisation, its impact on the transformation of society and the shift in political dynamics. How do we want to shape our society in a world of digital transformation?

A key focus lies on digital policy: How do we preserve our fundamental democratic values in the digital space, and how do we create infrastructures geared towards the common good? What political frameworks do we need in order to promote a digital future that offers liberties and enables participation? How does big tech regulation work, and where are its weaknesses and side effects? What can a successful interplay between politics, business and civil society look like? In short: What kind of digital world do we want to live in?

What are your strategies for the preservation and expansion of our democracy and against shifts to the right? How can we create more transparency and participation? How and where can we commit to more sustainability?

In the Politics & Society track, we want to come together to discuss – but above all showcase concrete ideas and provide impetus. This requires people who actively contribute their ideas in order to find solutions together as a society. How can we improve intergenerational dialogue - and what spaces are needed for this? Who speaks for whom, who speaks to whom - and why (not)?

But above all: How can we create a better future together?

Media, journalism and new public spheres are facing major challenges:  What are exciting approaches to the platform economy - from subscription models to creator economy, community journalism to non-profit organisations? How are public spheres changing as a result of algorithmic decision-making trained to capture our attention?

In a time of heated debates, we are interested in showcasing solutions against disinformation and for better fact-checking, gaining insights via data journalism, discussing the diversity of opinions and perspectives in editorial offices and our media landscape, as well as hearing your experiences with constructive (journalistic) approaches.

We also hope to shed light on: Who actually communicates how and why? Which generations use which platforms and forms of expression - and why? And do we even still understand the same memes across generations?

Which projects contribute to making the internet and media landscapes places worth living in?

We give a stage to big stories and top investigations. Whether fiction or non-fiction, community-based or linear: we want to take a look behind the scenes of investigative documentaries series, viral storytelling on TikTok, VR games and podcasts.

The Media Track of re:publica is funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and supported by Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg.

Let’s explore the synergies between science and technology: How do technological developments and innovations affect us? Who is driving these and how?

We are looking forward to hearing your ideas on the interactions between cognition and media use. We love to hear from both neuroscience and behavioural research on how brain processes shape our individual experiences and open our doors of perception. How do we receive and process information? What captures our attention and why?

We also love to hear about the practical applications of robots and artificial intelligence (alongside all associated ethical issues), new approaches in bioinformatics or quantum technologies as well as successful science communication that makes complex relationships understandable.

What will the cities of the future look like and how can we best build them? How do we stay young for longer - and should we want to? Which technological developments can help combat the climate crisis - and which of these are just ‘bullshit marketing’?

And, as always, we are interested in the creative potential of making and hacking - the tinkering, designing and experimenting with new materials, be it  wearables and devices to renewable energies.

From e-commerce to the sharing economy, from big data to trust in the resource of the individual: in a world in which data-driven decisions are on the rise, companies, their products and services are also transforming.

Which economic models meet the current challenges - and come hand-in-hand with ethical approaches? How, where and with whom will we work tomorrow? What meaningful role can AI play in processes, and where should we rather prevent or limit AI usage? These questions are not only relevant for agile start-ups, but also for traditional SMEs.

Which business models manage to successfully combine innovation with basic (human) rights? What experiences have been made with corporate digital responsibility?

Let’s take a pan-industrial look at our new workplaces,  and discuss the needs and approaches of different generations, creative business models and new financing strategies. We want to promote dialogue between innovators, start-ups and established companies with both academia as well as civil society - in order to jointly develop solutions for a sustainable and future-proof economy in digital times.

New digital learning, hackathons, schools and universities: How are technologies changing the way we learn, teach and share knowledge? How can open educational programmes be designed with digital methods? How do we learn with, not instead of AI?

Ultimately: how do technologies help to train and educate ourselves in times of life-long learning? What advances have been made and what are your experiences with these?

We are interested in imparting data- and tech literacy as well as an open-minded approach to utilizing technology as a means to pass on knowledge – both enthusiastically as well as sustainably. We are thus looking forward to sessions reflecting current research results, pedagogical methods and analyses from education experts, teachers of all walks and all (lifelong) learners.

Let’s zoom in on the interplay of technology with art and culture - be it creative, interactive, immersive. Bits and bytes are constantly changing and expanding the possibilities for expression, and the rapid development of AI is turning many things upside down.  

What is digitalisation doing to people working in art and design? Whether music, metaverse, memes or museums, TikTok, touchscreen or theatre, Discord or data visualisation: let’s examine how digital developments are changing online culture, studios and ateliers, cultural enterprises and institutions.  

How have cybercultures developed over the past 30 years, and what differences and similarities do these developments share?

Also exciting: How can art and culture contribute to contemporary discourses in a special way? How can art and culture change our outlook by creating new perceptions, experiences and encounters? What do our new realities look like?