Event series: (Re)Imagining freedom of expression in postdigital societies2. Youth Cultures
- 2nd June 2025
- 6:30 PM
- Festsaal + online, Diplomatische Akademie Wien
The event series (Re)imagining freedom of expression in postdigital societies brings together academics, artists, cultural actors and activists to discuss the right to freedom of expression in the context of digitalisation.
The event series (Re)imagining freedom of expression in postdigital societies brings together academics, artists, cultural workers and activists to discuss the right to freedom of expression in the context of digitalisation. At a historical moment in which private actors such as large technology companies have become key players in the reshaping of public space and discourse, it is important to reflect together on the values, goals and limits of freedom of expression. Which intellectual tools, which technical and legal infrastructures best serve the needs of democratic societies?
The following events are planned:
- Memory & Identity (7 April)
- Youth Cultures (2 June)
- AI & and Creativity (tba)
Upcoming event
Youth Cultures, 2nd June 2025
Young people are powerful voices in the fight for human rights and against injustice, advocating for peace and taking action against climate collapse.
Members of Generation Z and Generation Alpha are native to both digital and analogue spaces, forming global connections and vibrant youth cultures. Despite their crucial role in shaping the future, they are often excluded from current decision-making processes and face political and social neglect. At the same time, today's youth are growing up in a world marked by ongoing crises and educational inequality. This combination arguably poses one of the greatest threats to the future viability of our societies.
This event explores the diverse, creative, artistic, and innovative ways in which young people voice their concerns, engage with societal challenges, and influence decision-making—while also addressing the limitations, exclusions, and discrimination they continue to face.
Anahita Neghabat will explore meme-making as a subversive, accessible form of political expression for marginalized youth. Drawing on her workshops with racialized teens as part of her project MEME THE PAIN AWAY, she shows how memes enable critical engagement with media, norms, and systemic exclusion. Neghabat’s practice spans art education with refugees, co-creative work with young children, and curatorial work in community-based art spaces. Across these contexts, she traces how youth reclaim public discourse through satire and collective authorship.
Aron Weigl will present insights into youth political participation based on recent sociological research. He will connect these findings with experiences from cultural and research projects involving young people, carried out by the Viennese research institute EDUCULT in recent years. Weigl argues that political participation is not something that can simply be “granted”; rather, it must be actively “claimed” in order to become sustainable. While social media and its algorithms may pose a threat to social cohesion, they also offer unique opportunities to confront this challenge.
Memory & Identity, 7th April 2025 (past event)
Moderation
Klara Koštal (Head of Department Diversity of Cultural Expressions, Austrian Commission for UNESCO)
Discussion with
Dessy Gavrilova (Cultural Entrepreneur and Consultant, Curator, Playwright) &
Giulia Pelillo (Head of Research Area Cultural Studies, Vienna School of International Studies)
Dessy Gavrilova will look at freedom of expression in the context of the current political developments both in the USA and in Europe. How does the dramatic political change that we witness today in the USA and the new regime’s utilization of the topic redefine the battle ground for freedom of expression? Does the frontier of the battle for freedom of speech need to be reframed today, and if so - how?
Giulia Pelillo will explore the historical and cultural roots of both the term cancel culture and the digital practice of cancelling. Against this background, she will look at the politics of cancelling to discuss how freedom of expression can be safeguarded to promote social cohesion rather than polarising societies.
>>> Registration here: https://www.da-vienna.ac.at/en/Events <<<
