Berlin

“Streit! Konstruktive Kontroverse” (Beef – constructive controversy) is Social Media Week Berlin’s motto 2010, in this post we explain why we think it is a good subject and how we see the state of digital Streit today.
(deutsche Version)

Social Media has become a buzzword, so prominent, many people are already sick of it. Social Media needs to be in every marketing campaign, Social Media is finally the utopia “the internet” (in the 90ies) and “Web 2.0″ (in the 00 years) both couldn’t fulfill, Social Media can be done by everyone and everyone must do it unlesss he or she will fall into endless oblivion. Plus Obama used it. Obama!

We don’t think that that is all wrong nor are we sick of using all these handy tools to connect and interact, nor are we sick talking about it. But we want to take another stand, another perspective. That’s why we came up with the subject “Streit!”. Streit means conflict, controversy, beef! And we like it! Here is why.

First, the net is full of beef, everywhere people are fighting, argumenting, even, and not seldom, in very insulting and mean ways. Anonymity, non linear time structures, distance: all of these make it easy to forget that there is a real person on the other side of the screen. You don’t know that person, you will never meet again, manners don’t matter.

It is obvious: Social media is not always about cooperation and friending and liking. Streit is a reality in social media and in the talks within this week we want to find out how these controversies look and feel like, how technology shapes these conversations and how they can be used in a constructive way. Will there ever be a dislike button on Facebook? And do we need it?

Second, Streit is energy! It is not necessarily something bad. When two positions are clashing, and emotions are triggered, brain and heart are under fire, new energy, ideas and things occur. Think about a couple: No relationship can last without some fights once in a while. It is releaving, it is necessary, it happens. And reconciliation can be something very nice. In a more rational, philosphical way, you would call it dialectic.

Third, Streit is entertaining! A well done fight, with hints, arguments, technique, wit, is something great to watch. We know: there is a thin line in between boredom and embaressement, a fight can be totally lame or annoying. We hope to see some elegant, musketeer like battles on stage within this week.

So, we call or organizers, partners, participants to think about that subject and bring some examples and statements to the week. So we can all together be entertained, inspired, enlighted by a constructive controversy.

Foto von Malingering auf Flickr

Check the Schedule, the Facebook Page and our Twitterstream. Stay tuned.