The spread of digital technologies has contributed to a multi-faceted change of democratic orders, actors, and practices. At the intersection of long-term evolution of democracies and the emergence of social media, we observe a profound redistribution of communication and political power. Traditional mass media are losing their privileged position as gatekeepers of the public sphere; social media are establishing new norms of social relevance and simultaneously give voice to ideas, opinions, and actors, which used to be marginalized. This development seems full of ambivalences. Thus, the changing conditions of communication have spawned a situation of democracy in a state of permanent flux.

The debate on how digital technologies have changed public spheres and impacted democracy has been scattered across different scientific disciplines, political arenas, and civil society. The 2021 Annual Weizenbaum Conference aims to bring together these various perspectives and seeks to initiate an interdisciplinary exchange on the linkages between digital public spheres and democracy.

For more information on the conference programme, please click here.

Contact

Johanna Hampf c/o Weizenbaum-Institut für die vernetzte Gesellschaft:
Hardenbergstraße 32, 10623 Berlin
Tel: +49 30 700141-003
E-Mail: johanna.hampf[at]weizenbaum-institut.de

Press and Media

Filip Stiglmayer c/o Weizenbaum-Institut für die vernetzte Gesellschaft:
Hardenbergstraße 32, 10623 Berlin
Tel: +49 30 700141-010
E-Mail: filip.stiglmayer[at]weizenbaum-institut.de