Walk: Are you afraid of the Internet?

Pont du Mont-Blanc, Genève

Technology is everywhere. This has brought us many advantages, but with new technologies, new challenges arise too. We are going to walk through the city and take each stop as an invitation to think about a challenge posed by digital technology to our everyday lives.

Quai des Bergues, Genève

Your smartphone or rather the applications are designed to keep you as long as possible on your phone. And the longer you are on the apps, the more information they have about you. But what happens with all that data? You know how sometimes products appear in the advertisement windows after you’ve talked about it? Even though you have never looked them up online? Have you ever had that uncanny feeling that they listen to you?

MANOR Genève Cornavin, Rue du Mont-Blanc 30, Genève

They are watching. Your whole experience on the internet is customized. Your search results are customized, the ads on every website are customized, what you see on social media and lastly of course, your Netflix is customized. Based on your profile, websites tailor the information they show you. Do you think that’s convenient? Or can it also become problematic?

Poste Filiale, Rue du Mont-Blanc 18, Genève

We are living in a digital age. Digital infrastructure is becoming more and more important. And that digital infrastructure is – unlike public infrastructure – owned privately. What about the trust that we had towards a public institution like the post office, do you trust the private companies that we use for online communication on a daily basis? Do you feel safe using them?

Gare de Genève, Place de Cornavin 7, Genève

“Move fast, break things”, as a famous Facebook saying goes. Digital tools reshape the way we interact with each other and influence the pillars of our society. But we can still question that process through democratic tools. We have to take part in the discussion around new technologies. How do you want to digitalize Geneva?