Events | Konferenz: Pocket Democracy

Seattle und Berlin | 24. Oktober 2019 – 25. Oktober 2019

„Pocket Democracy” ist eine zweitägige Veranstaltung, mit einem Workshop und einer Konferenz in Berlin und Seattle. Die Veranstaltung geht der Frage nach, wie digitale Technologien für alternative politische Lösungen nutzbar gemacht werden können.

Seit ihrem Aufkommen vor rund zwölf Jahren haben Smartphones die politische und mediale Landschaft grundlegend verändert. Durch sie ist die Digitalisierung bis in alle Lebensbereiche vorgedrungen.
Falschinformationen, manipulierte Bilder und Videos sowie neue Überwachungspraktiken werfen die Frage auf, wie die politischen Auswirkungen neuer Kommunikations-technologien eingegrenzt oder in konstruktive Bahnen gelenkt werden können.
 
Das Projekt „Pocket Democracy“ nimmt Ideen und Akteure in den Blick, die Gefahren anerkennen, aber auch das Potenzial digitaler Technologien für alternative politische Lösungen sehen. Dabei kann es sich um Technologien handeln, die Falschinformationen oder manipulierte Bilder und Videos erkennen, es kann um den Abbau diskriminierender Bias innerhalb von Alghorithmen gehen oder um die Möglichkeit freier und geheimer digitaler Wahlen.
 

Opal Tometi | www.opaltometi.org

Keynote: Opal Tometi (co-founder Black Lives Matter, executive director Black Alliance for Just Immigration)

Teilnehmer*innen: Armen Avanessian (Thomas Mann Fellow), Lance Bennett (University of Washington), Jessica L. Beyer (University of Washington), Christoph Bieber (Universität Duisburg-Essen), Damian Borth (Thomas Mann Fellow / Universität St. Gallen), Toby Crittenden, Paulina Fröhlich (Das Progressive Zentrum / Berlin), Adriana Groh (Prototype Fund / Berlin), Philipp Hübl (Philosoph / Berlin), Sarah Lohmann (Johns Hopkins University), Alexander Peterhaensel (Universität der Künste Berlin / Berlin), Ramesh Srinivasan (UCLA), Alexander Sängerlaub (Stiftung Neue Verantwortung / Berlin), Max Senges (Google / Berlin, tbc), Niko Switek (University of Washington), Kristina Weissenbach (University of Washington / University Duisburg-Essen), Mellina White-Cusack (Blogger), et al.

SEATTLE | DONNERSTAG, 24. OKT - WORKSHOP
 
WORKSHOP TRACKS
 
I. PARTY POLITICS AND DIGITAL OPPOSITION
Political parties mobilize voters, and offer a platform for deliberation, aggregating and articulating preferences of their members. They are often deemed essential for democratic systems, but this position is not unchallenged. New movements resort to new ways of organizing, rallying around new topics and using new (online) tools and techniques to garner support. In some cases, individual politicians implement digital tools for strengthening their position within party structures and may use this dynamic for creating their own personalized platform. Concepts like liquid democracy and liquid feedback as well as tiny forms of participation offer alternatives to established forms of intraparty decision making. This challenges the overall layout of representative political institutions, advancing renewed calls for direct democracy. Parties did react and incorporate electronic platforms to mobilize and include their members into decision-making or extend their presence on third-party platforms. Do they reinvent themselves integrating new technologies or do they became obsolete as dinosaurs of a pre-digital era?

II. CYBERSECURITY AND DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS
What applications are being used to track disinformation, and what kind of solutions still need to be developed to increase accountability in the political sphere? This workshop will give an overview of the threats faced by the US and Germany/the EU during recent elections coming from both cybersecurity attacks on infrastructure as well as disinformation campaigns targeted at specific groups and profiles of voters. It will inform students about what online, technical and political solutions are being used to prevent such interventions, and encourage students to come up with solutions to cybersecurity and information vulnerabilities that remain.

 

9:30

Begrüßung
10:00

Workshops Runde I

Track II: PARTY POLITICS AND DIGITAL OPPOSITION
mit Niko Switek (University of Washington) und Christoph Bieber (Universität Duisburg-Essen) und Kristina Weissenbach (University of Washington / Universität Duisburg-Essen)

Track II: CYBERSECURITY AND DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS
mit Jessica L. Beyer (University of Washington) und Sarah Lohmann (Johns Hopkins University)

11:30
Kaffeepause

11:45

Workshops Runde II

Track II: PARTY POLITICS AND DIGITAL OPPOSITION
mit Niko Switek (University of Washington) und Christoph Bieber (Universität Duisburg-Essen) und Kristina Weissenbach (University of Washington / Universität Duisburg-Essen)

Track II: CYBERSECURITY AND DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS
mit Jessica L. Beyer (University of Washington) und Sarah Lohmann (Johns Hopkins University)

13:00

Mittagspause
14:00 - 15:00

Wrap-Up

Goethe Pop Up, Chophouse Row, 1424 11th Ave STE 101, Seattle, WA 98122

Bios (English)

Jessica L. Beyer is a Lecturer and Research Scientist in the Henry M. Jackson School for International Studies. Her current research focuses on cybersecurity issues, particularly non-state actors and international security. In 2012, she won the Association of Internet Researcher’s Dissertation Award. Her book, Expect Us: Online Communities and Political Mobilization, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. 

Christoph Bieber is is a professor of Ethics in Political Management at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He conducts research and writes on ethics and responsibility in politics, transparency and open communication as well as democracy and new media. He is a founding board member of pol-di.net e.V, the organisation responsible for operating Politik-digital. 

Sarah Lohmann is currently the Senior Cyber Fellow with the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She manages projects which aim to increase agreement between Germany and the United States on improving cybersecurity and creating cybernorms. Since 2010, Dr. Lohmann has served as a university instructor at the Universität der Bundeswehr, where she is currently teaching cybersecurity policy. She achieved her doctorate in political science there in 2013, when she became a senior researcher working for the political science department. Prior to her tenure at the Universität der Bundeswehr, Dr. Lohmann was a press spokesman for the U.S. Department of State for human rights as well as for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (MEPI).  

Niko Switek is DAAD Visiting Assistant Professor for German Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School for International Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. His research interests focus on political parties and party systems as well as on coalition politics. He wrote extensively about the German green party 'Bündnis 90/Die Grünen' and the green party family in Western Europe. In addition he worked on parties on European level ('Europarties') and just recently compiled a volume on fictional TV series about politics. 

Kristina Weissenbach is an Affiliate Professor for Political Science at the University of Washington. She is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Research Unit at the NRW School of Governance, Institute for Political Science, University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). Her primary research interests include the organization and institutionalization of political parties, party assistance and institutions in new democracies. Currently, she organized a research group on "The Digitalization of political parties (DIPART)" at the University of Duisburg-Essen (funded by the Ministry for Culture and Science NRW, 2018-2022) 

SEATTLE | DONNERSTAG, 24. OKT - ABENDVERANSTALTUNG

 

ABENDVERANSTALTUNG

 

18:00

Ramesh Srinivasan (UCLA): Beyond the Valley
Moderation: Mellina White-Cusack

In his new, provocative book Beyond the Valley, Ramesh Srinivasan describes the internet as both an enabler of frictionless efficiency and a dirty tangle of politics, economics, and other inefficient, inharmonious human activities. Srinivasan focuses on the disconnection he sees between designers and users, producers and consumers, and tech elites and the rest of us. The recent Cambridge Analytica and Russian misinformation scandals exemplify the imbalance of a digital world that puts profits before inclusivity and democracy.

In search of a more democratic internet, Srinivasan takes us to the mountains of Oaxaca, East and West Africa, China, Scandinavia, North America, and elsewhere, visiting the “design labs” of rural, low-income, and indigenous people around the world. He talks to a range of high-profile public figures—including Elizabeth Warren, David Axelrod, Eric Holder, Noam Chomsky, Lawrence Lessig, and the founders of Reddit, as well as community organizers, labor leaders, and human rights activists.

To make a better internet, Srinivasan says, we need a new ethic of diversity, openness, and inclusivity, empowering those now excluded from decisions about how technologies are designed, who profits from them, and who are surveilled and exploited by them.

19:00

Getränke und Get-together

The Cloud Room, 1424 11th Ave STE 400, Seattle, WA 98122

Bios (English)

Ramesh Srinivasan is Professor of Information Studies and Design Media Arts at UCLA. He is author of the books “Beyond the Valley: How Innovators around the World are Overcoming Inequality and Creating the Technologies of Tomorrow” (MIT Press 2019) and “Whose Global Village? Rethinking How Technology Impacts Our World” with NYU Press. Ramesh makes regular appearances on NPR, The Young Turks, MSNBC, and Public Radio International, and his writings have been published in the Washington Post, Quartz, Huffington Post, CNN, and elsewhere.  

Mellina White-Cusack is a Seattle resident who writes about how politics and culture impact our society. She blogs at The Seattle Conservative and has contributed her thoughts locally on The Evergrey and KUOW. She is curious about why our country has grown more and more divided in recent years, and how the lack of data-driven news and information has contributed to this national divide. In the past, Mellina has also contributed to DapperQ, a queer fashion site, and most recently served as Campaign Director for Christopher Rufo for City Council. 

SEATTLE | FRIDAY, OCT 25 - CONFERENCE

 

9:00 am

Einführung

9:05 am

Keynote (video stream nach Berlin)

Opal Tometi (Mitbegründerin Black Lives Matter)

Moderation: Armen Avanessian (Thomas Mann Fellow)

10:15 am

Session I: Digital Media and New Forms of Political Activism  

(Video stream nach Berlin)

Lance Bennett (University of Washington)
Alexander Sängerlaub (Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, live video)
Adriana Groh (Open Knowledge Foundation)

Moderation: Toby Crittenden

11:30 am

Kaffeepause

11:45 am

Session II: Cybersecurity and Democratic Elections

Jessica L. Beyer (University of Washington)
Christoph Bieber (University Duisburg-Essen)
Damian Borth (University of St. Gallen, Thomas Mann Fellow, live video)

Moderation: Niko Switek (University of Washington)

1:00 pm Ende

The Seattle Public Library, Central Library, Microsoft Auditorium

Bios (English)

Armen Avanessian (*1973 in Vienna) is an Austrian philosopher, literary theorist, and political theorist. He has taught at the Free University of Berlin, among other institutions, and held fellowships in the German departments of Columbia University and Yale University. His work on Speculative realism and Accelerationism in art and philosophy has found a wide audience beyond academia. Amongst his recent publications: Miamification (Merve, 2017) and Future Metaphysics (Polity, 2019). In 2019, Armen Avanessian is fellow at the Thomas Mann House, Los Angeles. 

Lance Bennett is Professor of Political Science and Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle USA and Senior Fellow at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, Berlin. He is founding director of the Center for Communication and Civic Engagement, which focuses on how communication can enhance citizen engagement with society, politics, and global affairs. 

Jessica L. Beyer is a Lecturer and Research Scientist in the Henry M. Jackson School for International Studies. Her current research focuses on cybersecurity issues, particularly non-state actors and international security. In 2012, she won the Association of Internet Researcher’s Dissertation Award. Her book, Expect Us: Online Communities and Political Mobilization, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. 

Christoph Bieber is is a professor of Ethics in Political Management at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He conducts research and writes on ethics and responsibility in politics, transparency and open communication as well as democracy and new media. He is a founding board member of pol-di.net e.V, the organisation responsible for operating Politik-digital. 

Damian Borth is Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning at the Institute for Computer Science at the University of St. Gallen. Before he served as the Director of the Deep Learning Competence Center at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Kaiserslautern and founding co-director of Sociovestix Labs, a social enterprise in the area of financial data science. He actively promotes the use of multimedia opinion mining for social good following the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the AI-for-Good initiative. In 2019, he is fellow at the Thomas Mann House, Los Angeles. 

Toby Crittenden was born and raised in Seattle. He is the former Executive Director of the Washington Bus, the Evergreen State's political voice for the rising generation. He currently works with non-profit organizations to improve their culture and systems.  

Adriana Groh is interested in the intersections of technology, policy and society. She works as program manager for the Prototype Fund, a funding program by the Open Knowledge Foundation and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research for software development in the field of Public Interest Tech, and co-founded wepublic, an app designed for digital dialogue between citizens and politicians. Adriana is a fellow of Launchbase, a pre-incubation program by the Maastricht Centre for Entrepreneurship, and the Social Impact Lab. She previously studied political science and European public policy and governance, with a focus on democratic innovations and participation. 

Sarah Lohmann is currently the Senior Cyber Fellow with the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She manages projects which aim to increase agreement between Germany and the United States on improving cybersecurity and creating cybernorms. Since 2010, Dr. Lohmann has served as a university instructor at the Universität der Bundeswehr, where she is currently teaching cybersecurity policy. She achieved her doctorate in political science there in 2013, when she became a senior researcher working for the political science department. Prior to her tenure at the Universität der Bundeswehr, Dr. Lohmann was a press spokesman for the U.S. Department of State for human rights as well as for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (MEPI).  

Alexander Sängerlaub leads the project Disinformation in the digital Public Sphere at the Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV). The project looks at the phenomenon based on an interdisciplinary approach. One major aim is to understand and explain the scope and effects of disinformation – together with experts from the US election campaign and the election. He is a fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) in London. Alexander studied Journalism & Communication Sciences and Psychology, as well as „Media and Political Communication“ at the Freie Universität Berlin.  

Niko Switek is DAAD Visiting Assistant Professor for German Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School for International Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. His research interests focus on political parties and party systems as well as on coalition politics. He wrote extensively about the German green party 'Bündnis 90/Die Grünen' and the green party family in Western Europe. In addition he worked on parties on European level ('Europarties') and just recently compiled a volume on fictional TV series about politics. 

Opal Tometi is a globally recognized human rights advocate, strategist and writer of Nigerian-American descent. She has been active in social movements for over 15 years, and is widely known for her role as a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and for her years of service as the Executive Director of the United States first national immigrant rights organization for people of African descent – the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI). Opal addressed the United Nations General Assembly and appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BET and her writings have been published in outlets such as TIME, Seventeen and the Huffington Post. 

Kristina Weissenbach is an Affiliate Professor for Political Science at the University of Washington. She is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Research Unit at the NRW School of Governance, Institute for Political Science, University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). Her primary research interests include the organization and institutionalization of political parties, party assistance and institutions in new democracies. Currently, she organized a research group on "The Digitalization of political parties (DIPART)" at the University of Duisburg-Essen (funded by the Ministry for Culture and Science NRW, 2018-2022) 

BERLIN | FRIDAY, OCT 25 - WORKSHOP

Moderiert von Linnea Riensberg und Merlin Münch, die Workshopsprache ist Deutsch

8:30 Uhr

Registrierung: DESINFORMATION (Nur noch wenig Restplätze)

9:00 Uhr

Workshop
mit

Philip Hübl (Philosoph)
Alexander Sängerlaub (Stiftung Neue Verantwortung)

11:30 Uhr

Registrierung: PARTEIPOLITIK UND DIGITALE OPPOSITION (ausgebucht / Warteliste)

12:00 Uhr

Workshop
mit

Paulina Fröhlich (Das Progressive Zentrum)
Andreas Barthelmess (Author)
Julia Krüger (Author)

14:30 Uhr

Registrierung: DEMOKRATISCHE WAHLEN (ausgebucht / Warteliste)
15:00 Uhr

Workshop
mit

Alexander Peterhaensel (Medienkünstler und Dozent)
Adriana Groh (Open Knowledge Foundation)
Max Senges (Google)


Wrap-up

State Studio, Hauptstraße 3, 10827 Berlin

BERLIN | FRIDAY, OCT 25 - EVENING EVENT

 

17:30 Uhr

Registration (the evening event will be held in English)

17:50 Uhr

Opening Remarks

18:00 Uhr

Keynote Lecture via live stream from Seattle: Opal Tometi (Co-founder Black Lives Matter)

Q&A with Thomas Mann Fellow Armen Avanessian and audiences in Berlin and Seattle

19:00 Uhr

Panel discussion by live stream

Digital Media and New Forms of Political Activism

w/

Christoph Bieber (University Duisburg-Essen)
Lance Bennett (University of Washington)
Alexander Sängerlaub (Stiftung Neue Verantwortung)
Adriana Groh (Open Knowledge Foundation)

20:15 Uhr

Drinks and Get-together

State Studio, Hauptstraße 3, 10827 Berlin


Für Teilnehmer*innen in Berlin.  

Location
State Studio, Hauptstraße 3, 10827 Berlin

Location
Oct 25 | Workshops and evening event | State Studio, Hauptstraße 3, 10827 Berlin
Register for the workshops here.


Für Teilnehmer*innen in Seattle

Location
Oct 24 | Workshops | Goethe Pop Up, Chophouse Row, 1424 11th Ave STE 400, Seattle, WA 98122
Registrierung für die Workshops.

Oct 24 | Evening | The Cloud Room, 1424 11th Ave STE 400, Seattle, WA 98122
Registrierung für die Abendveranstaltung.

Oct 25 | Conference | The Seattle Public Library, Central Library, Microsoft Auditorium, Seattle, WA 98122
Registrierung für die Konferenz.


Eine Veranstaltung in Kooperation mit

           

 


Im Rahmen von "Wunderbar Together: Germany and the U.S."

Zurück