"Blickwinkel" conference: Bytes and bias – digital political education, but how?

Anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia – migration society, competition, educational strategies: These keywords are increasingly characterising the social, academic and educational debate on prejudice and exclusionary patterns of thought and interpretation. In many cases, the discussion fluctuates between fervour and disorientation, between clear positions and differentiation. The "Blickwinkel" conference series has been highlighting current analyses, discussing innovative educational approaches and setting discourse-critical accents since 2011. The event invites participants to exchange ideas and network between academia and educational practice. In 2024, the focus will be explicitly on the question of how digital political education can succeed.

The fact that digitalisation is changing democracy is a commonplace these days. From social media to chatGPT: Digitalisation is increasingly shaping everyday life and politics; its dynamics can give rise to feelings of social and political powerlessness. In a society in which anti-Semitism and racism are deeply rooted, the question inevitably arises: What does it mean when "the machine" learns from "us" and vice versa? Action-orientated political education therefore faces major challenges. Anti-Semitic and racist discourses, practices and policies cannot be addressed without an understanding of the dissemination channels "on the net", their modes of operation and algorithms. In order not to be overtaken by digital developments, it is therefore crucial to keep a close eye on them, understand them and then help shape them instead of just reacting to them. At the conference in Erfurt in September, both the challenges and the opportunities for the success of political education against anti-Semitism and racism in the digital age will be discussed in a critical review.