From October 2018, transmediale ceases to actively use its Facebook page.

Facebook has always been a platform whose technological architecture and business model contradicted our support of distributed communication forms, privacy, and artistic media production.

At the same time, Facebook has admittedly become the main and most effective communications and feedback platform for organizations as well as a pervasive and centralized source of information for a high number of users. Especially for non-profit projects and cultural initiatives like transmediale, the use of “free” services provided by Facebook now paradoxically seems inevitable.

The fact that the decision to stop using Facebook appears to be a risk, only reinforces our will to oppose this homogenization by realigning our communications strategy. While we acknowledge the important role of social media in contemporary society, we think that transmediale should also be part of the demand for better and more diverse platforms. Without any full alternative, we are responding by intensifying our communication on other fronts, including updating our newsletter structure, exploring the possibilities of direct messaging and refocusing on our website.

We hope that this change will evoke further discussions on how to resist the growing dependence on the services of platform capitalism as well as foster the development of alternatives and new, more inspiring and dynamic forms of communication.