Social Networks: Building Connections or Getting Lost in the Web? A Collective Reflection
Carte blanche by Manifesto XXI
Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 6pm
Atelier-Assemblée at Triangle-Astérides, 2nd floor, Manufacture 2, Friche la Belle de Mai
Free admission upon prior registration here
The format of Triangle-Astérides’ cartes blanches indicates that the events are programmed and produced independently of the art center that hosts them.
On April 1, 2025, at Triangle Astérides art center in Marseille, Manifesto XXI collective will host a moment of reflection and collective sharing on the use of social media and its effects on our mental health. This initiative stems from spontaneous conversations and aims to contribute to a collective reflection on how social media infiltrates our emotional sphere: how it “hacks” our emotions, influences our careers as artists and/or authors, and exposes us to capitalist and far-right commercial logics.
As a key tool in the capitalist economy, social media penetrates the intimacy of consumers, shaping how we love and express affection, communicate, build the commons, talk about ourselves, and manage our professional journeys. While these platforms sell us the promise of boundless freedom, they seem to trap us in a never-ending pursuit of uniqueness. The individual, in their desire to feel special, surrenders to the logic of algorithms and gradually forgets the art of building relational ecosystems. How can we be together when everyone wants to shine? How can we find a bridge between the cult of the self and the community?
At a time when far-right movements and capitalist oligarchies are strengthening, we are becoming more aware of the ambiguity surrounding these platforms. But how can we replace them? Should we outright reject them? Is it even feasible, in a virtualized world, to renounce any digital existence? Without succumbing to the siren call of technophobia, we propose opening a space for reflection. We particularly wish to extend this invitation to cultural workers, who are especially affected by these issues.
Through this discussion, the public will be invited to engage in small group discussions around a few proposed themes to kickstart the reflection. A collective summary of these conversations will conclude the first event, aiming to create a space for kind dialogue around these current issues. Through this collective approach, where virtuality, fame, and virality intersect, we hope to outline possible alternative, sensitive, and human paths that respond to the sometimes utopian quest for liberating connections.
Schedule:
1 hour of small group workshops
15-minute break
1 hour of collective feedback