Curating Media and Design — Conference: Unlike Us 2 - Understanding Social Media Monopolies and their Alternatives (March 8-10, Amsterdam)

Conference: Unlike Us 2 - Understanding Social Media Monopolies and their Alternatives (March 8-10, Amsterdam)

Unlike Us 2 is the second event of artists, designers, scholars, activists and programmers who work on “alternatives in social media”. This international research network analyzes the economic and cultural aspects of dominant social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Through workshops, conferences, online dialogues and publications the Unlike Us network promotes the development of alternative, decentralized social media software.

March 8-10, 2012, Amsterdam (NL). Unlike Us 2: Understanding Social Media Monopolies and their Alternatives.

Unlike Us 2 is the second event of artists, designers, scholars, activists and programmers who work on “alternatives in social media”. This international research network analyzes the economic and cultural aspects of dominant social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Through workshops, conferences, online dialogues and publications the Unlike Us network promotes the development of alternative, decentralized social media software.

Unlike Us 2 will focus on the concept of free exchange and the commercial exploitation of online social relationships which lie at the heart of contemporary capitalism, belly social media. In addition to speakers addressing thishis theme a range of alternative social media projects will be showcased. Facebook makes everyone believe There Is No Alternative, but Unlike Us dares to differ.

Schedule:

[8 March] Showcasing aAlternatives in sSocial mMedia: There is currently a multitude of decentralized social network software in the making which allows users greater autonomy to define with whom to share their data. Visit Unlike Us 2 and discover the wildly latest alternatives, from Lorea - Spideralex (ES), Secusharee - Carlo v. Loesch/lynX (DE), Thimbl, Diaspora, Crabgrass, - Elijah Sparrow (USA) Social Swarm to and Freedombox and more James Vasile (USA). The best way to undermine platform monopolies is to support alternative open source/free software. Get out of the Cloud, take control of your realm and install your own social network locally. Come along to find out more!

[9-10 March] Conference themes: Social what? Defining the Social, Artistic Responses to Social Media, The Private in the Public, Software Matters, Pitfalls of Building Social Media Alternatives, Social Media Activism, Critique of Liberation Technology.

Organized by the Institute of Network Cultures (HvA) in cooperation with the Cyprus University of Technology.