Podcast | What can we learn from Amsterdam’s first social network? (Dutch spoken)
Amsterdam once had its own social media platform: De Digitale Stad (The Digital City). In the first episode of the new Folia podcast series Uitgedokterd, editor Jip Koene talks to PhD candidate Dennis Beckers about how the platform ultimately failed and what we can learn from it when it comes to shaping our digital public space.
PhD candidate and communication scientist Dennis Beckers has spent the past few years researching the history of De Digitale Stad. This social network from the early days of the internet was used mainly by people in Amsterdam and focused on social cohesion within the city and protecting users’ privacy.
A lot has changed since then. While De Digitale Stad put privacy and social cohesion at its heart, major social media platforms such as Meta and Microsoft are primarily interested in your data so they can target you with advertising as precisely as possible. What can we learn from the first digital cities, and what lessons can we draw from them when it comes to shaping our digital public space?
Listen to the podcast on Spotify and other podcast platforms, or watch the video below on YouTube.
