Let's work to improve the internet! How do we become less dependent on big tech? And how do we ensure that the internet becomes ours again? On Saturday, June 14, Waag Futurelab and PublicSpaces are hosting Hyperlink - where you can make, discover and contribute ideas on how we can make a better internet together. You will learn in an Augmented Reality (AR) game how to recognise fake news, fix your data-guzzling phone, make your own smart doorbell, and much more.
What is your first memory of ‘the internet’? Visiting the De Digitale Stad (DDS) via a Telnet connection, the dancing banana of Hyves, chatting on MSN, or downloading music on Napster and Limewire for your mp3-player or diskman.
Whatever your memory may be: chances are your first memory will feel better than the internet you now use every day. We pay with our data, are addicted to scrolling and are increasingly exposed to disinformation, hate speech and political manipulation on social media platforms. Today's internet is characterised by a few big tech companies setting the rules. We depend on big tech social media platforms more than ever, and those companies are becoming increasingly intertwined with political power. Things must and can be different.
Programme
From 14:00, you are welcome at the Waag. There will be various ongoing workshops to visit, including the workshop the Smartest Doorbell by Roos Groothuizen. From 16:00 to 19:00, short lectures will take place.
Stay tuned for the full programme!
Accessibility
If you are tight on funds and want to participate in this event, please get in touch with claudia [@] waag [dot] org.
PublicSpaces Conference 2025: Shaping our Digital Future
Do you want to delve deeper into the design of a better internet? Join us at Pakhuis de Zwijger on Friday 13 June for the fifth edition of the PublicSpaces Conference!
This event is part of the Future Ten Days from 12 to 21 June 2025, a programme that is taking place as part of the celebration of Amsterdam 750 years.
