The days of a single shared reality are long gone—or perhaps they never truly existed. Today, we live in a world shaped by multiple coexisting realities. People spend a significant part of their lives in digital spaces. These range from the passive consumption of content, to the deliberate creation of curated identities on social media, to immersive virtual environments where individuals—as avatars—lead social lives, form friendships, play, laugh, and cry.
As a result, an increasing variety of lifestyles, social groups, and niche subcultures are emerging. This can lead to people withdrawing into their own worlds and focusing more intensely on their private lives. From a democratic perspective, this raises a pressing question: Are we drifting further away from a shared sense of community and shared social structures?
At this year’s Symposium on Political Education, we will engage with the following questions:
• How can different layers of reality exist on equal terms, and in what ways do they influence one another?
• What opportunities and risks arise from this development?
• What role can schools and educational institutions—as spaces of encounter—play in helping people from different realities connect, in order to strengthen democracy?
We warmly invite you to join us for inspiring talks, vibrant discussions, and a highlights tour through the Ars Electronica Festival.
Program
10:00 — Doors open
10:30 — Welcome
10:45 — Brave new worlds? Virtual reality and education. Keynote by Claus Beisbart (University of Bern)
12:00 — Guided tours through the Ars Electronica Festival
13:30 — Informal exchange & refreshments
14:30 — Project presentation u19—create your world: home (BG/BRG Horn)
15:15 — Panel discussion with Claus Beisbart, Anna Maria Eder-Jahn, Helmut Peissl, Florian Pochlatko, and Winni Ransmayer
16:30 — Get Together
