Procedure

This task consists of two parts.

In the first part, participants are divided into groups of 3–5 and develop a form of digital engagement using the accompanying working materials.

In the second part, the groups present their results in a short presentation and discuss them in a plenary session.

Preparation

• Working materials 1–5 must be printed out.

Overview of topics

• The meme factory: Good memes get to the heart of the matter in a concise and often humorous way. This makes them ideal for civic engagement.
• A little challenge-ology: Social media is ideal for viral phenomena. Challenges have always been part of this. They are not only fun, but can also draw attention to socially relevant issues.
• The hashtag factory: Hashtag campaigns can raise awareness of issues. However, a good hashtag must be precise and memorable.
• Stand up when you’re down: The internet has opened up many new problem-solving strategies. From crowdfunding campaigns to your own app, a lot has become possible.
• Academy for Counterargument: Social networks are sometimes turned into unpleasant places by a loud minority. This makes it all the more important to stand together against it!

Notes on moderation

• The apps for creating memes (working material 1) must be checked to ensure they are up to date.
• Task 1) of the Academy for Counterarguments (working material 5) can be supplemented with a current example if necessary. It should also be pointed out that the comment is not a bot.

Extension

• Since the seminar takes place in a digital context, the group work can also be expanded in that the individual topics can be implemented piece by piece on the Internet. For example, the meme factory could create a meme page on Instagram, the hashtag forge could create a Twitter page, and the Academy for Counter-Speech could try its hand at a real hate comment. In the last example in particular, care should be taken to ensure that participants do not become too emotionally involved in the topic and remember that they are in a seminar context.
• The following additional task can be used: “Imagine you have to explain to your grandparents what your respective form of social engagement is and why it has an impact on society today.”