Wissenschaftsblog des WiZeGG

Digitalisation is preoccupying the social imagination. What it actually is and what it means for whom is the subject of controversial debate: "technological totalitarianism" (Schirrmacher) or a condition for enabling more democracy through social and political participation?
The Smart House Oldenburg (Schlossplatz 16) hosted the future workshop "Digitalisation" on the afternoon of 7 September 2018 as part of the "Oldenburg School for the Social Sciences and the Humanities" with the aim of discussing different ways of dealing with digitalisation in various fields of social action and the associated dystopias and utopias. Organised and moderated by Thomas Alkemeyer, Martin Butler and Julius Greve, the Future Workshop brought together people from different areas of society who gave keynote speeches that were both informed and impressive, reporting on the impact of digitalisation on their academic appointments and everyday lives: Nele Heise, (media scientist and activist, Hamburg), Jochen Meyer (Computing Science expert and passionate self-tracker, Oldenburg), Ira Diethelm (Professor of Didactics of Computer Science, Oldenburg) and Andreas Fickenscher (master baker and managing director, Fickenschers Backhaus, Münchberg).
Nele Heise took a critical stance on social networks, but at the same time admitted that as an Internet researcher she was equally dependent on them - both in the context of her own research and with regard to her positioning in the academic world. Heise was concerned about the increasing blurring of the boundaries between private and public (an aspect that was also raised by the other three guests). She therefore emphatically advocated intensive reflection on ethical problems under the conditions of digitalisation.
Jochen Meyer from OFFIS, an Institute affiliated to the University of Oldenburg that specialises in computer-based information technologies, gave the 25 or so participants at the Future Workshop a tongue-in-cheek insight into the graphs and diagrams of his many years of existence as a self-tracker and underlined the potential of digital technologies for preventive healthcare and healthcare provision. One point of discussion was the question of accessibility to such technologies. After all, social status is still an important influencing factor.
Oldenburg didactics professor Ira Diethelm argued for "digital sovereignty" as an educational goal in the 21st century and presented the cornerstones of such a programme. There was a lively discussion about both the ideal of a future society that this programme is based on and the question of what is actually meant by sovereignty: is it the autonomy of the good old European subject, or not the ability to deal competently with one's own data?
Finally, Andreas Fickenscher shared with the audience the day-to-day business of his increasingly digitalised bakery in Münchberg, Franconia, a business that has been in the family since the 17th century. According to the master baker and confectioner, digitalisation simplifies previously analogue work processes and thus creates time for the essentials, namely baking according to traditional recipes: digitalisation as a medium for a return to good old-fashioned craftsmanship. Fickenscher's prognosis: craft businesses will not be able to avoid new technologies if they want to keep up with the increasing competition for the scarce commodities of money and attention. However, in order to survive, they must always keep an eye on the resources, concerns and needs of the employees who have to deal with these technologies. After all, it wouldn't work without employees.

The joint closing session primarily addressed the question posed in all of the impulses about the relationship between people and technology: What is technology doing to us, and what can we do with it? Who actually takes action when production processes become increasingly digitalised? What about the much-vaunted sovereignty of people when they allow themselves to be guided by digital data? Does digital technology 'treat' all people equally, regardless of their social background and gender? Finally, what social expectations and promises, but also worries and hardships, are articulated in the numerous narratives about digitalisation that we encounter in science, politics and feature pages? Questions and food for thought that are worth taking up in further events.

Thomas Alkemeyer, Dr phil. habil., is Professor of Sociology and Sports Sociology at the Institute of Sport Science at the University of Oldenburg.
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