The Children of Europe and the Video Republic

In 1983 a personal video camera cost over a thousand euros. In 2008, digital camcorders sell for as little as EUR 150. Mobile phones with video come free with a contract. Cheap webcams broadcast direct from people's bedrooms. The result is a 'Video Republic': as our already rich visual culture is flooded with DIY content made in bedrooms, workshops and the streets. Young people in particular have colonised this technology, and a generation across Europe now creates and shares audio-visual media with ease.

But with such a huge volume of content, from vlogs or re-edited music videos to political campaign films, it is difficult to decode the significance. Some of the big questions are being interrogated with a range of 'adventures in video' around Europe; but the results are often uneven and politicians are still struggling to respond to the challenges convincingly. This report will ask what it mean for our democratic institutions when young people assume powerful new roles as commentators and distributors in the Video Republic. The research is based on expert interviews, discussions with young video makers, study visits to several European countries and extensive literature overview.

Target audience: 50-100 researchers, marketeers, journalists and other media and cultural professionals

PROGRAMME

Opening words by European Cultural Foundation

Research presentation by Charlie Tims (Demos Associate) and Celia Hannon (Researcher at Demos)

Panel of commentators:
Matt Hanson, author and film futurist, aswarmofangels.com
Kaja Wolffers Head of AV Productions, MTV Networks Benelux
Severijn Heijmans and Joey Steffens, finalists for StrangerFestival with My Big Happy Family
Moderated by Tommi Laitio (Project Leader, StrangerFestival)

Discussion

Picnic Special: www.picnicnetwork.org/page/22307/en
Demos research: www.demos.co.uk/projects/childrenofeuropa/overview
Stranger Festival: www.strangerfestival.com/