Public Lecture SeriesPublished on 09.09.2026

Open to all: Lectures on the Digital Transformation in Society and Culture

For its Digital Society master programme, the interfaculty Institute Human-IST organizes the public lecture series "Digital Transformation in Society and Culture", held in English. It welcomes national and international speakers who present on a wide range of issues linked to the digital transformation.

The 2026 programme covers topics ranging from music streaming platforms to Artificial Intelligence as well as several lectures focusing on the topic of disinformation.

The detailed programme is below. Most lectures take place at the University of Fribourg and are open to anyone interested joining in-person. On October 27, the lecture of Prof. Dr. Joan Donovan will be held online.

In-person public lectures take place at the University of Fribourg, Pérolles Campus (Blvd. de Pérolles 90), building PER-21, room F207, at 16h15pm on Tuesdays.

Opening Lecture
Tue, 15.09.26: Digital Society Opening Lecture: Common Futures. The Role of Ethics in Digital Transformations
Prof. Dr. Matthias Braun (University of Bonn)

Tue, 29.09.26: A Dive Inside Memetic Folklore
Prof. Dr. Tommaso Venturini (University of Geneva)

Tue, 06.10.26: How Tech-Hype Transforms Society
Dr. Jascha Bareis (University of Fribourg)

Tue, 13.10.26: Cultural Content on Digital Platforms: Twenty Years of Controversies over Music Streaming Payouts
Dr. Loïc Riom (University of Fribourg)

Tue, 20.10.26: Utopian Narratives of AI
Prof. Dr. Oliver Krüger (University of Fribourg)

Tue, 27.10.26: Against Reality Distortion: Generative AI as a Weapon of War, Instrument of Mass Identity Fraud, and Endless Slop Machine // online lecture
Prof. Dr. Joan Donovan (Boston University)

Tue, 03.11.26: Digital Friends, Therapists and Lovers: Discussing The Future of Human–Machine Relationships
Dr. Marisa Tschopp (ZHAW School of Applied Psychology)

Tue, 10.11.26: Who Is Vulnerable to Disinformation? News Avoidance, Conspiracy Beliefs, and Resilience in Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Mark Eisenegger (University of Zurich)

Tue, 24.11.25: On the epistemic violence of data-based AI
Prof. Dr. Bianca Prietl (University of Basel)

Tue, 01.12.25: From the Traditional Village to Virtual Togetherness: Rethinking Community in the Digital Age
Dr. Lena Kaufmann (University of Fribourg)