Tracks

The heart of the re:publica programme revolves around the ever-accelerating pace of digitalization, its impact on the transformation of society and the shifting of political dynamics.

We aim to shine a light on the numerous pressing social questions and look into mainstream as well as niche discourses, whether in tech policy or beyond. We are inviting activists, public figures, members of civil society, experts, and many more to look into and behind current topics, unravel ambiguities, and engage in lively debates.

At the core of the Politics & Society track lies the fundamental question: In what kind of world do we want to live? And: who cares? Because we need those individuals who actually care to find answers to how we treat each other, our environment and the future of our planet.

Media, journalism, and other public spheres are currently facing significant challenges: What are exciting approaches in the platform economy–from subscription models to creator economies, community journalism to non-profit ventures? Following the decline of Twitter, how are public spheres evolving between Mastodon and Bluesky as well as other big networks such such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn? What new insights do we have regarding "artificial intelligence"?

In a climate of heated opinions, we are keen on exploring solutions for countering disinformation and improving fact-checking, the role of data journalism and fostering a  diversity of opinions and perspectives within newsrooms and our media landscape. We provide a stage for large stories and investigations.Whether fiction or non-fiction, we want to delve into the inner workings of investigative documentary series, viral storytelling on TikTok, VR games, and podcasts.

Who cares: Which projects are helping improve the web and media landscape and turning these into more livable places? And who are the people who care about this? 

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

Calling all nerds: Let’s explore the synergies of science and technology. How do technological developments and innovations affect us? Who is driving them and how? We are interested in infrastructures and hardware as well as insights into laboratory logbooks of laboratories, think tanks and universities. 

How does the brain work and can robots save our lives? What is the state of research into neurodiversity or psychedelic therapies? To what extent is international research hampered in times of war and crisis - and how can science diplomacy help to keep alive the dialogue? What technologies can help tackle the climate crisis?  When can we fly to Mars - and do we really want to?

Last but not least, we care about dreaming, tinkering, designing, new materials - about making and hacking. Can science actually care and bring new technologies into our lives, ideally without adverse side effects and risks?

Why banks are tanking and crypto is crashing, when green tech isn't greenwash, when a salary is fair and a team diverse - all these are up for debate at re:publica. How can we rethink the economy and the way we develop and finance products and processes?

We want to learn more about alternative economic models that address today's challenges. We want to understand the role of technological solutions: Which digital business models are breaking with the Silicon Valley mantra, which financial products with Wall Street? What defines a data economy for the common good and what a post-growth economy? And how can we create supply chains not based on extractivism? At the same time, we want to look inside companies and organisations. We want to understand how social change and technological progress are transforming us as well as our jobs. 

Visionaries, techies, makers, developers, social and sustainable entrepreneurs, innovators and creatives - show us that you care: Let's hack the economy!

From new digital learning and hackathons to schools and universities:  How are technologies changing the way we learn, teach and share knowledge? How can open education be designed hand in hand with tools? How do we learn with, rather than instead of AI? Ultimately, how do technologies help us educate and train in an era where education is never “off”?

We are interested in imparting data and tech literacy and a clear headed use of technology in order to create enthusiasm as well as sustainable structures for knowledge sharing. We therefore look forward to sessions with new research findings, reflections on pedagogical methods and analyses from education experts, teachers and all (lifelong) learners.

Because:  Who cares? How and what we teach and learn, both as individuals and as a society, shapes us all, and hopefully makes us care

Immersive, interactive and creative: Let's dive into the interplay of technology with art and culture. Bits and bytes are constantly expanding the possibilities of expression, while the rapid development of AI is turning many former cornerstones of art and creativity upside down.

What challenges does digitalisation present for creatives in art and design? What new opportunities do text, image, and sound generators offer, and what problems do they bring along? From the metaverse and memes to museums, TikTok and touchscreens to theatres, Discord to data visualisation: we want to explore how digital advancements are transforming internet culture, studios, cultural industries and institutions.

We also want to know: How can art and culture contribute to contemporary discourses? How can creatives and activists change our world (or at least our view of it) by generating new perceptions, experiences, and encounters? What are these so-called new realities? And: who cares in the field of art and culture?