![redenreihe lecture series](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/redenreihe.jpg)
Making sense of the digital society
The current rapid social and technological change brings about enormous uncertainties – a great need for explanations and sense-making but also of shaping our common future. This high-profile lecture series thrives to develop a European perspective on the processes of transformation that our societies are currently undergoing. To this end, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) and the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) are inviting great European thinkers to help us making sense of the digital society.
What is really changing in society beyond the hype of short-term excitement? What is power in the digital society, and how is it distributed? Do we witness the revival of democracy through increased participation and transparency, or rather its demise due to fragmentation and populism? Are services fueled by algorithms and artificial intelligence improving our private and business lives or do they enforce social inequalities? How does urban life change in times of digitization and what role do infrastructures take?
The series began in late 2017 with a kick-off event with Manuel Castells, author of the influential "Information Age" trilogy and professor at the University of Southern California. Other speakers included Elena Esposito, Professor of Sociology at Bielefeld University, Nick Couldry, Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory at the LSE in London, and Eva Illouz, Professor of Sociology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Armin Nassehi, Professor of Sociology at LMU Munich and Shoshana Zuboff, who is the Charles Edward Wilson Professor Emerita at Harvard Business School. All speeches can be listened to in the playlist, further information on the events can be found below.
All events in the series will be moderated by Tobi Müller. They are held in English and translated simultaneously into German.
Upcoming events in this series
Past events
![Carola Westermeier: Money as a digital technology](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TV-Banner-–-Stefania-Milan-–-3.png)
Carola Westermeier: Money as a digital technology
![Rob Kitchin: Navigating Smart Cities](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Banner_Rob-Kitchin-_events-–-5.png)
Rob Kitchin: Navigating Smart Cities
![Daniel Miller: The global evolution of smart technologies](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Webseite-Redenreihe-Daniel-Miller-–-1.png)
Daniel Miller: The global evolution of smart technologies
![Lorenz Hilty & James Maguire: Digitising the environmental paradigm](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Banner_Website_events-–-5-3.png)
Lorenz Hilty & James Maguire: Digitising the environmental paradigm
![Gina Neff: Making AI work for us](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Banner_Website_events-–-2.png)
Gina Neff: Making AI work for us
![Stefania Milan: Resistance in the datafied society](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Banner_Website_Stefania-Milan.png)
Stefania Milan: Resistance in the datafied society
![David Betz: Warfare in the digital age](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Banner_Website_David-Betz-29.08.22.png)
David Betz: Warfare in the digital age
![Kanta Dihal: How the world sees intelligent machines](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Facebook-Post-–-Kanta-Dihal.png)
Kanta Dihal: How the world sees intelligent machines
![Krisztina Rozgonyi and Marius Dragomir: Freedom of expression in Central and Eastern Europe](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Webbanner_rozgonyi_dragomir.png)
Krisztina Rozgonyi and Marius Dragomir: Freedom of expression in Central and Eastern Europe
![Helen Kennedy: Everyday life in times of datafication](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Banner_Kennedy-98.png)
Helen Kennedy: Everyday life in times of datafication
![Judith Simon: The ethics of AI and big data](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Banner_Simon_web.png)
Judith Simon: The ethics of AI and big data
![Genia Kostka: Big data dreams and local reality in China](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Banner_Kostka-98.png)
Genia Kostka: Big data dreams and local reality in China
![Jan-Werner Müller: The critical infrastructure of democracy](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Redenreihe_making-sense_2020-99.png)
Jan-Werner Müller: The critical infrastructure of democracy
![Iyad Rahwan: How to trust machines?](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Redenreihe_making-sense_2020-94.png)
Iyad Rahwan: How to trust machines?
![Tilman Santarius: Making digitalisation work for the climate!](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Banner_Santarius-90.png)
Tilman Santarius: Making digitalisation work for the climate!
![Joanna Bryson: The role of humans in an age of intelligent machines](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Banner_Bryson-80.png)
Joanna Bryson: The role of humans in an age of intelligent machines
![Livestream: Philipp Staab – The crises of digital capitalism](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Redenreihe_making-sense_2020-copy-88.png)
Livestream: Philipp Staab – The crises of digital capitalism
![Cancelled: Lina Dencik – Justice in the Datafied Society](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Banner_Dencik-78.png)
Cancelled: Lina Dencik – Justice in the Datafied Society
![Sybille Krämer: Cultural history of digitisation](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Banner_Krämern_ENG-80.png)
Sybille Krämer: Cultural history of digitisation
![Rasmus Kleis Nielsen: The power of platforms and how publishers adapt](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Redenreihe_making-sense_2019_neu-71.png)
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen: The power of platforms and how publishers adapt
![Shoshana Zuboff: Surveillance Capitalism and Democracy](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Zuboff_16x9-36.png)
Shoshana Zuboff: Surveillance Capitalism and Democracy
![Armin Nassehi: What problem does digitalisation solve?](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Armin-Nassehi-70.png)
Armin Nassehi: What problem does digitalisation solve?
![Louise Amoore: Our lives with algorithms](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Amoore-NEU-16x9-59.png)
Louise Amoore: Our lives with algorithms
![José van Dijck: Europe and responsible platform societies](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VanDijck_01-Castells-–-16zu9-Kopie.png)
José van Dijck: Europe and responsible platform societies
![Dirk Baecker: Digitalisation and the next society](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/baecker_en-57.png)
Dirk Baecker: Digitalisation and the next society
![Eva Illouz: Capitalist subjectivity and the internet](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Redenreihe_FR1_2018_1-51.png)
Eva Illouz: Capitalist subjectivity and the internet
![Andreas Reckwitz: Digitalisation and society of singularities](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Banner-Reckwitz-48.png)
Andreas Reckwitz: Digitalisation and society of singularities
![Nick Couldry: Colonised by data – the hollowing out of digital society](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Couldry_Header-38-38.png)
Nick Couldry: Colonised by data – the hollowing out of digital society
![Stephen Graham: The politics of urban digital infrastructures](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Stephen-Graham_16x9-33.png)
Stephen Graham: The politics of urban digital infrastructures
![Marion Fourcade: Social order in the digital society](https://www.hiig.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Fourcade_2018-28.png)
Marion Fourcade: Social order in the digital society
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