A Survey of Participants’ Opinions About Issues and Trends Recorded at the 14th Global IGF, in Berlin, Germany
The 14th Global Internet Governance Forum was held in Berlin Nov. 25-29, 2019. IGF is a multistakeholder effort to illuminate issues and cultivate constructive discussions. People from civil society, government, technology, business and academia share information and create coalitions in an effort to move dialogues forward and share best practices. IGF contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. More than 3,600 participants from more than 100 nation-states participated in Global IGF 2019. They gathered to move the dialogue forward on some of the most pressing issues and questions facing the Internet. This year’s IGF focused on the three main themes Digital Inclusion, Data Governance, and Security, Safety, Stability and Resilience. In addition, discussion centered around the ideas for an “IGF Plus,” which has been proposed as a way to strengthen the current IGF structure, which lacks actionable outcomes and has, up to this point, had limited participation by governments and corporations.
Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center conducted interviews at Global IGF 2019, gathering opinions about Internet evolution and issues to inform policy and create a historic record. Click on the links below to view clips from interviews with more than 100 IGF participants from nation-states across the globe. See and hear their responses to five questions:
1 – First we’d like to ask you about global Internet platforms – Some people say the concentrated power of global internet platform companies like Google, Facebook, Tencent and Baidu is dangerous. Why is this seen as a threat and what can be done about it?
2 – Next, we’d like to ask about Enhancing Global Cooperation in the Digital Age – What will bring people together and build better cooperation globally on digital issues, digital regulation, security and trust?
3-Content moderation is a challenge today. What solution is there to combat harmful content while generally protecting free speech online?
4 – Hope and fear? What is your greatest hope and what is your greatest fear for the future of the Internet?
5- What is the future of the Internet in a nutshell? In just one or two words or a brief phrase, in just a few seconds, describe the future of the Internet.
Photo Album: Click here to see photos taken by the Elon team at IGF 2019.
The Imagining the Internet Interview Team
Imagining the Internet’s ethnographic documentary work at Global IGF 2019 is being conducted by undergraduate researchers Paloma Camacho, Maggie Brown, Cameron Wolfslayer, Jack Haley, Jared Mayerson, Brian Rea, Oliver Fischer, Maria Ramirez and Julia Walter of Elon University’s School of Communications, under the supervision of Elon faculty member Alex Luchsinger.
