in/compatible publics

Panel with Anthony Iles (uk) + Rachel Baker (uk), Liza Tsaliki (gr) and Norifumi Ogawa (jp)
Moderated by Krystian Woznicki (de/pl)

Riots in Great Britain, uprisings in Greece, crisis in Japan – what do these social eruptions have in common? The world system is in turmoil – a process that not only disrupts the fragile order of the global South but more and more aggressively also those walled gardens composing the industrialised world. Suddenly we are talking about failed states located inside exclusive clubs such as the G8 and the Euro-17. Before we are able to understand the implications of this far-reaching transformation, we notice new authoritarian trends in politics foreclosing democratic processes.

In this time of social crisis we have to ask about the potential of social media. After all it is a strong collaborative grassroots quality that qualifies them as platforms for social change. With respect to the walled gardens in crisis, this panel wonders: What are seminal practices and applications of social media? What is their disruptive potential in increasingly authoritarian media landscapes?