The sociosphere programme in the new world dis/order conference will place emphasis on the social, political and economic challenges of our digital, globalised world.

It all begins with a conversation between Katharina Nocun, co-author of Fake Facts, and sociologist Carolin Wiedemann about the digital battlefields and weapons now being used to wage cultural and political wars. Thereafter, the tech philosopher Marta Peirano will talk with Sarah Grant, expert in networked media and founder of Radical Networks, about the increasing visibility of critical infrastructures – and our attachment to them – at the very moment of their failure.

In their lecture, performance Birgit Schneider, professor of knowledge cultures and media environments, and radio artist Kate Donovan will place our anthropocentric world view in question by letting the audience experience how other life forms perceive the world.

The group DISNOVATION.ORG, currently made up of Nicolas Maigret, Maria Roszkowska and Gottlieb Baruch, will in turn question the predominant narrative of growth and progress and conjure up a radically different economic model.

The evening will conclude with a keynote talk by the renowned sociologist, media and design theorist Benjamin Bratton on the necessity of political and economic action and thought in planetary dimensions in a post-pandemic world.

Tino Daum (Das Kapital sind wir. Zur Kritik der digitalen Ökonomie / We Are the Capital: A Critique of Digital Economy) and Robert Feustel (‘Am Anfang war die Information’. Digitalisierung als Religion / ‘Initially there was Information’. Digitalisation as Religion) will kick off the Sunday events with an exchange on the religious-like cult of the digital in contemporary capitalism.

For the next session, Julia Kloiber, advocate for technologies that serve the common good and co-founder of organisations like Superrr Lab, Prototype Fund and Code for Germany, will speak with Frederike Kaltheuner, tech policy analyst, researcher and activist for justice in the data world.

In her lecture, Phoebe V. Moore, associate professor of the future of work at the University of Leicester, will consider issues of power, responsibility and morality in the use of artificial intelligence in the working world. Thereafter, the artist and researcher Joana Moll will demonstrate the connection between the loss of biodiversity and the increasing computing power of microprocessors – or even the explosion of technocapitalism. Finally, Kathrin Passig, author and co-founder of blogs like Riesenmaschine [Giant Machine] and Techniktagebuch [Technical Diary], will present reflections from her book Neue Staaten erfinden. Wie im Netz Politik entsteht [Inventing new states. How Politics Emerges on the Net], to be released next year.

To round off the day, the artist collective Total Refusal will offer a pseudo-Marxist urban tour through Red Dead Redemption 2, analysing profit and value, capital and accumulation in the mass medium of video games.

During the sociosphere, two chapters from the collectively composed, ongoing video series Bottled Songs, which explores greed, power and terrorism in online media and social networks, can be viewed: My Crush was a Superstar by Chloé Galibert-Laine and The Spokesman by Kevin B. Lee. Additional films will be available in the On Demand section during the festival.

In addition, a closed online workshop entitled Not Found On will be presented by Aay Liparotto, focusing on the non-public wiki that she has created by and for feminist, queer bodies.