How is the use of various "digital technologies of the corona crisis" socioculturally anchored? How and within what limits is their use morally justified in different cultural horizons?
This was just one of the many questions we kept asking ourselves as part of our work. The corona crisis represents a global challenge whose course is significantly influenced by digital information technologies: As “technologies of the crisis,” their spectrum encompasses three areas that target both individual and collective well-being in the pandemic situation: (1) Information platforms that make relevant knowledge such as regional incidences or quarantine measures available, (2) Communication platforms to compensate for communication deficits caused by quarantine and social distancing; and (3) Containment platforms that are key technologies to make the pandemic situation manageable (e.g., pandemic or contact tracing apps).
All of these platforms have been shown to be connected to troublesome societal and ethical questions. In an international comparison, some highly digitized countries in East Asia in particular have shown how the population can be involved in such a digital pandemic response. At the same time, the use and handling of technologies in the crisis reveal far-reaching differences between ‘West’ and ‘East’, which point to different socio-cultural and ethical traditions.
The planned international conference week “TechCo” takes the pandemic crisis as an opportunity to initiate a transnational and interdisciplinary exchange. The aim is to bring young scientists into a culturally sensitive dialogue within the framework of a five-day online conference using the example of Germany and Japan.
Currently, we have completed our team and started working on defining conference topics, terms and conditions of participation and a call for abstracts. More Information will be available soon. In the meantime, check out who we are and what our project is about.