On 4 May 2026 in Hamburg, communications professionals from the worlds of culture, the arts, politics, public administration, and academia will present their work on open, democracy-enhancing social media platforms. The new ‘2MR’ conference, pronounced ‘zwoMR’, will take place the day before the OMR Festival (‘Online Marketing Rockstars’) and will highlight outstanding examples and role models, addressing key questions.
The 2MR Conference
What opportunities and benefits do the Fediverse, Mastodon, and infrastructures such as Eurosky offer? How can public communication be successful, digitally sovereign, independent, self-determined and respectful of data protection and democracy?
This event is organised by the Hamburg-based non-profit organisation Save Social – Networks for Democracy, in collaboration with the Berlin-based communications agency King Consult. The venue is the centrally located Bucerius Law School.
2MR – Digital Democracy for Tomorrow – Festival of Good Examples 4 May 2026 Bucerius Law School, Hamburg Website: 2mr.social (external link) Latest news and discussions: #2MR on Mastodon and Bluesky berlin.social/@kingconsult (external link) eimsbuettel.social/@bjoernsta (external link)
Speaker
There will be presentations and contributions on communication in traditional and new social media from Dr Carsten Brosda (Senator for Culture and Media in Hamburg), Marc-Uwe Kling (author and podcaster), Elena Rossini (filmmaker and activist), Felix Hlatky (Director of Mastodon), the online editorial team of the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Justice, Robin Thiesmeyer (cartoonist and alias META BENE), Hendrik Lünenborg (Director-General of NDR), Melanie Bartos (science communicator at the University of Innsbruck), Saskia Welch (Head of Communications at the Newsmast Foundation) and Martin Andre (author of Krieg der Medien [War of the Media]).
Voices
Time is running out for the networks run by Big Tech monopolies and ultra-wealthy billionaires who are undermining our democracy. There are many positive examples of how open, alternative networks can strengthen democracy. These are at the heart of our conference, offering encouragement and demonstrating how networks can truly be socially beneficial.
At the 2MR Conference, we are showing that all the elements required for the digital transformation of social media are already in place. It is possible to communicate successfully without opaque algorithms, addictive designs or the leakage of sensitive data. Independent social media platforms enable public bodies and businesses to communicate in a targeted manner while staying true to their values and brands.
Funding
Supported by
- Stiftung Mercator
- ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS
- nextMedia.Hamburg
- Schöpflin Stiftung
- Mastodon GmbH
Want to support 2MR? Gladly!
Our festival showcases excellent examples without charging an admission fee. We are grateful to all our current sponsors and supporters, but we are looking for more. Companies and organisations in Hamburg that wish to show their support for better social safety nets are very welcome.
Media kit
Shareable images and logos are available to download at download.2mr.social (external link) (external link).
Conference photos are also available for download, © 2mr.social, Andreas Burkhardt. These will be available on Monday lunchtime at download.2mr.social (external link) (external link).
Press contact
If you are interested in covering the event and meeting the speakers, please get in touch well in advance.
- Save Social – Networks for Democracy gUG Björn Staschen presse@savesocial.eu
- KING CONSULT | Kommunikation Florian König presse@king-consult.de
Organiser
Save Social – Networks for Democracy is committed to preserving the internet’s democratic power. The organisation advocates freeing the web from the dominance of big tech monopolies and strengthening open networks. A petition on this issue received more than a quarter of a million signatures a year ago. Save Social was launched by over 100 individuals and organisations, including musicians Rocko Schamoni, Dota Kehr, Jan Delay and Sebastian Krumbiegel; authors Marc-Uwe Kling, Saša Stanišić, Uwe Timm and Isabel Bogdan; journalists Eckart von Hirschhausen, Ellen Heinrichs and Natalie Sablowski; entrepreneur Sebastian Klein; philanthropist Hans Schöpflin; tech blogger Sascha Pallenberg; former Federal Data Protection Commissioner Ulrich Kelber; and trade unions including the German Journalists’ Association (DJV), the German Journalists’ Union (dju) within ver.di, Unisono (German Music and Orchestra Association e.V.), Freelens, and the Professional Association of Photographers.
Save Social – Networks for Democracy has been operating as a not-for-profit organisation since the summer.
In collaboration with
KING CONSULT | Communication
As a values-driven communications agency, KING CONSULT supports companies, public authorities, universities, NGOs, foundations and associations in achieving successful, confident and long-term communication within and outside the Fediverse. We offer free and independent information on how to potentially realign your own communication channels with the #SocialMediaMatrix and the Social Media Briefing.
king-consult.de (external link) (external link)
Mastodon: berlin.social/@kingconsult (external link) (external link)
Social-Media-Briefing: king-consult.de/social-media-briefing (external link) (external link)
#SocialMediaMatrix: social-media-matrix.king-consult.de (external link)
