As part of our Professional Development scheme, aimed at organising training and events to share best practices on the latest trends in theatre, we are thrilled to invite ETC Member Theatres to the webinar 'Ethical Communications: Should European Theatres Transition Away From X and Meta?,' with speaker Marleen Stikker, Director & Founder of Waag Futurelab, on Monday 26 May 2025 from 14:00 - 16:00.
Webinar description
The dependence on big tech's social media platforms is no longer sustainable. With moderation and fact-checking getting banned and big tech's power increasingly intertwined with political power, it is time to move to better alternatives.
In this special ETC webinar for communications and digital professionals, Marleen Stikker, the Director of the Amsterdam-based tech foundation Waag Futurelab, will lead the discussion on how ETC Members can actively engage in alternative social media platforms that safeguard public values.
Includes insights from Waag's #MakeSocialsSocialAgain campaign.
Webinar Details & Registration
Ethical Communications: Should European Theatres Transition Away From X and Meta?
Monday 26 May 2025, from 14:00 - 16:00 CET
Registration deadline: 26 May 2025
ETC Professional Development Theme: Communications, Digitality, Ethics, Audience Development
Format and location: Online workshop (via Zoom)
Length: 2 hours
Target audience: The webinar is aimed at communications, digital and audience development professionals, as well as those interested in ethical tech practices and sustainable digital communication strategies. Open to ETC Members, ACuTe Members & the general public.
Expected outcomes:
- Increased awareness of the ethical implications of relying on big tech social media platforms (X, Meta)
- Understanding of the political and social risks of current social media ecosystems
- Introduction to alternative social media platforms and communication strategies that prioritise public values
- Practical insights from the #MakeSocialsSocialAgain campaign
- Inspiration and tools for ETC Members to re-evaluate or diversify their digital communication strategies
- A shared framework for ethical decision-making in digital communications within the European theatre context
Speakers
Marleen Stikker
Director & Founder of Waag Futurelab
Marleen Stikker is the founder and executive director of Waag Futurelab in Amsterdam. Waag Futurelab reinforces critical reflection on technology, develops technological and social design skills, and encourages social innovation. Marleen leads the trans-disciplinary team of designers, artists and scientists, utilising Public Research and Key Enabling Methodologies to empower people to participate in the collective design of open, fair and inclusive futures. Marleen founded 'De Digitale Stad' (The Digital City) in 1993, the first virtual community introducing free public access to the Internet in Amsterdam. Marleen Stikker strongly adheres to the Maker's Bill of Rights motto: 'If You Can't Open It, You Don't Own It'.
Danny Lämmerhirt
Lead, Future Internet Lab at Waag Futurelab
Danny Lämmerhirt is the lead of the Future Internet Lab at Waag Futurelab. His research explores democratic experiments with data and digital technologies to address public problems. As lab lead, he lays out the strategy of the research lab, developing methods to publicly design, use, make decisions over, and contest internet technologies, as well as how digital technologies can facilitate dialogue and collaboration around issues of public concern. Danny wrote his doctoral thesis at the University of Siegen, where he studied how data intermediaries envision to negotiate the interests of data givers and receivers through different media technologies. Danny also worked as research consultant advising organisations like the Open Government Partnership, the United Nations Development Program, the European Commission, and the World Wide Web Foundation.
