Speaker

Mike Karst

Digitalization as a cultural process

Mike Karst is a versatile entrepreneur, university lecturer, CEO of a social enterprise, and inspiring speaker. His lectures on the cultural impacts of digitization are characterized by well-founded expertise, passion, and understandable language. As a social and political scientist focusing on media theory, he offers refreshing perspectives on complex topics of digital transformation. With appearances at festivals, conferences, and for the Foreign Office, he captivates a wide audience. Book Mike Karst for completely new insights into the changes in culture and society.

Rates

Vita

Mike Karst is a successful entrepreneur, enthusiastic university lecturer, ambitious managing director of a social enterprise, and a captivating speaker. He packages the cultural consequences of digitalization into exciting ideas and combines extensive specialist knowledge with passion and understandable language. His lectures offer formative insights into complex topics and discussions surrounding digital transformation. He does this against his background as a social and political scientist with a focus on media theory. They thus offer refreshing perspectives on a topic that is usually treated quite differently. Enthusiasm and entirely new insights are guaranteed, even for audiences with very different prior knowledge and experience. In addition to lectures and presentations at festivals and conferences, his clients include the academic service of the Federal Foreign Office, community universities, and numerous other institutions. Book Mike Karst if you want to gain a completely new perspective on the transformation of culture and society that you will never forget.

Topics

Digitalization is not a technical, but a social process.
With the introduction of language, writing, printing, and electricity, digitalization is permeating more and more areas of life and penetrating ever more deeply into the details. This is changing the way we think, work, and communicate. Such change does not occur without resistance, contradictions, errors, and conflicts. It is irritating and disrupts structures and power relations. We see similar conflicts in numerous places – and these will only increase.

Only when we have found new rules and rituals for politics, culture, and the economy can we successfully transition to the next society. There is still a long way to go until then. We will only achieve this if we take a step back and stop constantly looking at new apps and tools. The more important question is: What is digitalization actually and what does it do to us?

Digitalization as a cultural process
We talk a lot about digitalization, but often don't know what it means. Digitalization is not a technical, but a social process. It transforms diffuse concepts into concrete units. In this way, it makes not only economics and politics, but also culture and social issues copyable, comparable, reproducible, and decontextualizable. This changes our relationship to one another, but also to ourselves. In the struggle for the next social and cultural technologies, we must now renegotiate identity, function, and trust at all levels of society.

The Difficult Path to the Next Society
Our internal and external structures are unprepared for digital transformation. We observe individuals, institutions, and organizations being overwhelmed. To remain capable of action, we strive to reduce complexity. This can only be achieved by dispensing with details and making snap judgments – with the corresponding costs.
Unfortunately, neither apps nor laws can help us, because expectations must change. Since we are faster at destroying than building, further turbulence can be expected.

Introduction to the Digital Mindset
Those who want to understand the next society must understand its patterns. Because with a look at the properties of electronic media, more and more developments become understandable. Those who understand these characteristics and the workings of networks can therefore move more confidently and ask the right questions. This is the best path to a digital mindset.

References & Press

“Mike Karst had his audience's rapt attention as he masterfully guided them through the complicated world of algorithms.”
Marion Görnig, Director of VHS Volmetal

“Mr. Karst gave a competent and lively lecture. If you want to stimulate discussion about digitalization, his lectures are a good choice.”
Dr. Gudrun Mittelstedt, Director of the VHS Erftstadt

“Culture, politics, digitality - topics of our time that Mike Karst is able to decipher scientifically and entertainingly in various contexts. Data, facts and analyses, inventories and visions, cultural history and philosophy are brought together in an understandable way. You can rely on Mike Karst's ability to adapt to the participants, the event format or the spontaneous situation. He finds the right language and the right images. Whether lecture, project, discussion or experiment - Mike Karst impresses with his knowledge and rhetoric.”
Dr. Elmar Schnücker, Director of the Gütersloh Adult Education Center

“Mike Karst inspired his audience. 100% recommendation!”
Britta Bollermann, Adult Education Center Dortmund

“We always appreciate Mr. Karst's lectures because of the well-founded information and the lively and at the same time generally understandable presentation style. He succeeds in addressing important social issues in the field of digitalization, illustrating the dynamics of digital communication and explaining the social impact of digital change in an apt and vivid way.”
Dr. Johannes Lill, Director of the Werl Adult Education Center

“In his lectures, Mr. Karst always manages to give very pointed and sometimes provocative food for thought that has a long-lasting effect. It is always enriching to discuss individual points with him again afterwards. He has established himself as a reliable and knowledgeable speaker.”
Michael Tschöke, Head of the Lüdenscheid Adult Education Center

“The lecture was a precision landing!”
Petra Bröscher, Selm Adult Education Center

“Mike Karst Karst's lectures on the topics of political, social and digital change are absolutely up-to-date and scientifically sound. He knows how to prepare and present complex content in a way that is understandable and comprehensible for specific target groups, but also entertaining and exciting.”
Michael Buhleier, Director of the VHS Bergisch Gladbach

“Mike Karst's presentations are always exciting and informative at the same time. He has left a lasting impression on our audience with his various impulses! We look forward to seeing him again”
Brigitte Brinkmann, responsible for politics/society at VHS Erkrath

“Mike Karst succeeds in combining complex topics and making them accessible to the audience in an exciting and vivid way.”
Markus Lenige, Director of Studies, Catholic Academy Schwerte

Mike Karst

Digitalization as a cultural process

Vita

Topics

References & Press

Impressions

Presentation types

Required equipment

Mike Karst

Digitalization as a cultural process

Rates and expenses

Vita

Topics

References & Press

Impressions

Presentation types

Required equipment

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