Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Dr. Susanne Rockweiler

Occupation: Cultural manager, curator

"No matter where and always: now. They offer us opportunities and at the same time demand a lot from us mentally, physically and in terms of personal rights."

How can such an interesting and important topic be successfully translated into an exhibition?

The exhibition ‘BE.LIKE.ME. Social Media and Me’ puts the everyday phenomenon of social media centre stage. Apps such as Facebook and X, Instagram and BeReal, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok permeate us individually and socially, professionally and privately in the smartphone age. No matter where and always: now. They offer us opportunities and at the same time demand a lot from us mentally, physically and in terms of personal rights. In the exhibition, we tell stories of these opportunities and risks through fifteen artistic works by 12 nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. Each work focusses on key aspects of social media. Together they form a picture or an overall narrative. 

The exhibition opens with the expansive mobile installation ALL TOGETHER NOW by Volker März with figures - all miniature and made of clay - that form a social structure in balance and refer to us humans as social beings with a basic need to belong. Social networks, which shift social exchange from the analogue to the digital realm, tap into this basic need. 

"Until the building is completed, we will show an exhibition every year in order to learn and draw conclusions about the overall concept of the building."

What are the goals of the Stiftung Welt der Versuchungen foundation?

Our aim is to complement addiction prevention work and place it at the centre of society. After all, addiction is a reflection of society and concerns us all. To this end, the non-profit Stiftung Welt der Versuchungen was established in 2021. It is the initiator of a new exhibition centre. Our concept is to combine health promotion, in particular addiction prevention, and the arts and to collaborate with researchers from various disciplines such as medicine and neuroscience, addiction and behavioural addiction research, social science and psychology. This approach is new and is unprecedented in Europe. Until the building is completed, we will show an exhibition every year in order to learn and draw conclusions about the overall concept of the building. 

"Many visitors are taken aback by how transparent we are and how carelessly we use our smartphones."

Where are the interfaces between art, science and technology in this topic?

For the current exhibition ‘BE.LIKE.ME. Social Media and Me’, we have cooperated with the ZKM, Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe. It was founded in 1989 to continue the classical arts into the digital age. We are showing two works developed by Peter Weibel, Bernd Lintermann and Florian Hertweck, which focus on digital mechanisms that form the basis of smartphones and social networks. The realisation is critical, aesthetic and can also be experienced through the senses. 

TRUSTAI is about our basic trust. Visitors enter into a conversation with a friendly avatar. A normal, purchasable smartphone, which is part of the installation, collects data from us in the background. The avatar reveals this in the course of the conversation. Many visitors are taken aback by how transparent we are and how carelessly we use our smartphones. 

The second work visualises the algorithm. YOU:R:CODE and is an interactive multimedia installation. This work gradually reveals how the human being can be read and quantified as a digital data body from the analogue mirror image through a computer and camera. This makes the system of algorithms understandable. After all, Instagram, TikTok and co. register the time spent on the site, content and comments. They code and save them and offer us similar content. In this way, companies keep us on their platforms for as long as possible and earn a lot of money. 

"The work draws attention to the omnipresence of digital devices, which are always within reach. The (mostly reflexive) consumption, both active and passive, has an impact on our social interaction in family life and in society."

What criteria did you use to select the artists?

We looked for works by artists who highlight the tension between the opportunities and risks of social networks and get people talking to themselves and to others. A good example is the photographic series FAMILY PORTRAITS by Maria Mavropoulou. We are showing three photographs from it with everyday situations that we all know: a birthday dinner, a Sunday afternoon in bed and an evening with friends in the living room. In our imagination, all situations are associated with social interaction. There are no people to be seen in the photographs, only the evidence of them through the flashing screens of smartphones, tablets, notebooks, smartwatches and TVs: in bed, on the table, the console, the sofa and other places of family togetherness. 

The work draws attention to the omnipresence of digital devices, which are always within reach. The (mostly reflexive) consumption, both active and passive, has an impact on our social interaction in family life and in society. Is excessive use already socially normalised - unlike many substance-related addictions? Who do we pay what attention to? Does this make us lonely together? 

It is also impressive that the Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues has his say.

The German Bundestag has provided around EUR 20 million for our project. This is the only way the exhibition centre can be realised. As the Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drugs, Mr Blienert is also committed, for example, to ensuring that media use remains controllable and that children and young people are effectively protected. Media addiction and mindful media use are important concerns for him. 

Thuringia is a pioneer in this area. The subject of media literacy has been part of the curriculum since this school year. And the Thuringian Minister of Health, Heike Werner, is increasingly focussing on prevention work. The federal and state health ministries support the foundation, not least because there are always overlaps between classic addictive substances and behavioural addictions such as media addiction. This is why we are in close contact with Mr Blienert and both ministries. Together, we are helping to ensure that the topic of addiction in general, and social media in particular, receives the necessary attention in politics and society.  

We hear little from Thuringia, only that there are many AFD voters there. This is an interesting different impulse. How do you feel about the state elections in Thuringia? The whole of Germany is watching you.

Unfortunately, this is the main reason why Thuringia is currently in the public eye beyond the state borders. This distorts the image of the federal state. What many people forget: 70 per cent of citizens do not vote for the AfD. They ensure a colourful, culturally rich community that combines tradition and modernity. I can only invite everyone to come to Thuringia and follow in the footsteps of the Bauhaus, the Ernestines or Luther, alongside the classics Schiller and Goethe. Everyone I know who is here for the first time is amazed at how beautiful it is here, especially in Erfurt. We contribute to this diversity with our work. The media and the public are looking ahead to 1 September. Many conversations with family, friends and colleagues centre on what the future will look like. And of course we are nervous. But together with many people, we are not giving up hope that we will continue to live in a country with a government that represents democratic values.

What are you planning for the #thueringenweltoffen campaign?

The campaign provides important impetus and signals for Thuringia's diversity. We get involved, take part in demonstrations and are a member of Weltoffen Thüringen. We and many others stand for the values and for a cosmopolitan and diverse Thuringia, respect for human dignity and indivisible human rights, a pluralistic democracy and the rule of law, a state in which people are accepted and welcome in their diversity, peaceful and respectful interaction with one another, the idea of a united Europe. Prejudice, marginalisation and hatred have no place here and in a cosmopolitan and diverse Thuringia. 

This is also a topic that strongly accompanies our exhibition on social media - you only have to look at the success of the AfD on TikTok. In the exhibition catalogue, we have texts by the Anne Frank Educational Centre and the young author Jenifer Becker. In our dialogue-based guided tours and in the educational programme, we discuss apps such as Instagram and TikTok, including cyberbullying and echo chambers and how crude content can reach us. We therefore also explain the algorithm, the collection of data in the background and behavioural mechanisms that social platforms adopt. We also show ways out. Together with our cultural partner, MDR, we are planning a joint panel discussion on the social challenges of social media and their impact on society as a whole. This will also be a topic.

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Bernd Lintermann, Florian Hertweck TRUSTAI, 2020
Computerbasierte Installation mit Interface mit 3D Monitor/iPhone/PC/Sound in Möbelstück mit Hocker © Bernd Lintermann, Florian Hertweck, ZKM I Zentrum für Kunst und Medien Karlsruhe

Key Visual, BE.LIKE.ME. Social Media und ich – Created with Midjourney by Naroska, 2024