Details

The invention of the printing press in the 15th century, the industrial revolution in the 18th century and the widespread introduction of electricity in the 20th century all had dramatically changed the workings of the social- and political orders of their ages. In our own times, the Internet is the supreme transforming agent, radically changing the ways and manners in which the world and the many societies within it work and interact. The information highway has turned hitherto scarce information flows into abundance, and has thus affected nearly all phenomena that compose the daily life of any given individual.

One central theme in this epic story has been the empowerment of the individual. For the longest time in human history, organized interests had led the vanguard in providing information flows and forming public opinions. The internet however has battered down that monopoly. It has made it possible for anyone with access to the net to participate and contribute in the information creation process. In doing so, whole established patterns have been torn upside down, new dynamisms of interaction are constantly introduced.

This dynamism has already affected almost all imaginable areas of human conduct, and there can be no doubt that the Internet and social media have played a central role in the global wave of protests and revolutions.

How that happened, and how governments are reacting, that is what we want to talk about.

Program

6. November

13:45 Inscriptions

14:00 Welcome

14:30 Panel 1: Virtual Democracy

Speakers: Vinicius Braz from P2P Foundation Brasil Glocal Initiative; Fabro Steibel from ESMP

16:00 Coffee Break

16:30 Panel 2: Virtual Democracy

Speakers: Filipe Peçanha from Mídia Ninja; Gustavo Diniz from Igarapé Institut

18:00 Closing remarks

Topics: The Giant Awakes, Social Media, Protests, Revolution, Liquid Democracy, Networks, Digital Inclusion, Activism

Place: Auditory Hilton Belém Hotel

Participation is free, and there are certificates of participation issued.

To Registration send an email to

adenauer-rio1@kas.de

During the event, it will be possible to participate in the debate through Twitter. For this, the following hashtags will be used: #kas #demo0101 and #DemocraciaVirtual.