NB : All discussions will take place in English, apart from the last roundtable (in French)

Forum curated by Carmen Salas
Free entrance – Le Commun (Rue des Bains, 28, 1205 Geneva)

The evolution of humanity is closely tied to the evolution of communication and the transmission of knowledge. Humankind have for at least three decades been exploring the possibilities of computer-mediated communications. The invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 brought about new social interactions and cultural practices that have changed our lives forever. The magnitude of what began that year is an act that exposes the uniqueness of our civilisation. However, what we are witnessing in the last decade shows a lack of understanding and responsibility towards our digital rights and the complex systems that rule our world. The shift from the wide-open Web to semi closed platforms brought about an unequal distribution of power among citizens, businesses and governments. Centralised control not only has damaged our most valuable medium of communication and exchange of knowledge, it has also threatened our freedom, autonomy and sovereignty. How did we get here?, what could we do differently if given a second chance?, how can we ensure that the Internet is not centralised inside corporate structures? what would it take to build a digital future that is right for us all?  who should be involved? These are questions we will have to give much more thought in the years ahead. Perhaps the most urgent questions we need to ask ourselves are: How do we want technology and the ‘network’ to function in the next decades – as means to foster human development or as tools to continue exacerbating the concentration of wealth and power?, how can we ensure that the systems, infrastructures and networks we create don’t end up mutating into tools for control, surveillance and censorship? and how can we build better and more solid systems in the first place?