Things are changing rapidly. Suddenly, Silicon Valley and its social media platforms are moving to the right and everyone in Europe is asking themselves: are we still allowed to use these platforms and are there any sensible alternatives? 

How do we deal with the fact that - especially in the cultural sector - almost all communication takes place via Meta, Google and X? This Gordian knot is almost impossible to cut. We have become alarmingly dependent because everything will continue as it is. But the current turning point calls for a fundamental rethink. 

Why Hope? 

We as Nürnberg Pop Festival / Nürnberg Pop Conference want to use this panel as a starting signal for this year's conference in October, which is based on the desire to end all panels with a hopeful outcome. Problems have been evaluated for years, but the results are usually poor. We want to find the silver lining on the horizon and develop this into a promising approach. 

We are inviting actors from the cultural sector, but also from the business world, for whom social media seems to have no alternative. They will give an insight into their experiences and thoughts and discuss the present, but also look to the future - including the relationship between social engagement and the platforms through which it is played out.
 
The panellists are Dirk Schluenz (Managing Director, 1. FCN Marketing), Elke Kuhlen (Festival Director c/o Pop Festival, Cologne), Marion Grether (Director, Deutsches Museum Nürnberg) and Michael Husarek (Editor-in-Chief "Verlag Nürnberger Presse" / "VNP")