The part-time and online-based master’s program Cross Media (University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg- Stendal) hosts the Think CROSS – Change MEDIA conference every two years. Every second year, the Think CROSS – Change MEDIA Symposium is held. Every year, academics, students and practitioners exchange ideas here on current topics and new developments in the media world.
On February 15, 2019, the seventh Think CROSS – Change MEDIA Symposium took place under the title “News 4.0” in the store workshop of the Institute of Industrial Design (Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences).
The symposium highlighted changes that are emerging in the world of work and society as a result of digitalization. Among the topics presented were: the model of a cashless society using Sweden as an example, and the extent to which German citizens dare to drive autonomous cars. Social media issues ran through many of the presentations: What roles do digital media have in times of fake news? Can children act as influencers? How is social media used to recruit new members in the right-wing scene?
Topic Shopping 4.0 For many retailers, Amazon & Co. pose an ever-increasing threat to their existence. René Baisch from Atalanda, an online marketplace for regional products, emphasized the media presence of retailers and also considers the networking of retailers locally and via a platform to be a decisive factor in making city centers attractive again. Students from the master’s degree program Cross Media presented their results from the project “Shopping 4.0”, which is supported by the city of Magdeburg and the alderman for economic affairs. What action strategies and options does Magdeburg’s retail sector, for example, have with regard to digitalization? The students developed approaches and recommendations for action for the city and the retail sector. To this end, they proposed, among other things, organizing a cross-district, practice-based project and knowledge workshop not only for Magdeburg’s retail trade, but also for the entirety of small and medium-sized enterprises from the retail, trade and service sectors, in order to address the topic of the “digital transformation” of small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, the topics of online presence, online marketing and an urban guidance system are to be addressed in the context of practical projects and workshops.
The cooperation partners of Think CROSS – Change MEDIA are the city of Magdeburg, the master’s program in Digital Business Management (Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences) and the master’s program in Digital Business Management (Johannes Kepler University Linz). For more information, visit http://www.crossmedia-konferenz.de.