Digital revolution stars at Catalonia’s Mobile Week 2019

Catalonia’s Mobile Week will focus its 2019 edition on the digital revolution and will include for the first time places outside Barcelona, such as Girona, Lleida, Reus, Igualada, and the Ribera d’Ebre county.

Under the motto ‘Our simple relationship with technology,’ the Mobile Week invites the public to reflect on the impact of the digital revolution on day-to-day life, through arts, science, and philosophy.

The Catalan minister for digital policy, Jordi Puigneró, stressed the importance of spreading throughout Catalonia not only "fiber optics," but also the "technological and moral" debate on the digital transformation.

A total of 180 activities planned

Despite the inclusion of other towns in the third edition of Mobile Week, more than 80 of the 180 activities planned will take place in Barcelona, with another 50 organized by partners of the event, which takes place from February 14 to 23.

In all, some 110 speakers will be in the Catalan capital for the event, which like last year will be divided into four different sections: talks, workshops, exhibitions, and family events.

Among this year's guests are Olga Yurkova, an expert in fake news, who will feature with philosopher Gregorio Luri, and Amber Case, the American anthropologist who studies the interaction between humans and technology.

International digital artists

As for the arts, Barcelona's Disseny Hub will have 14 proposals by international digital artists on such issues as artificial intelligence, bitcoin, the influence of social media on the media, and the impact of robots on society.

In the five places outside the Catalan capital included in this edition, will be 25 talks and roundtable debates, 15 workshops and presentations, four film screenings, two radio programs, three exhibitions and five activities for families.

While there are fewer activities organized outside Barcelona, they are "focused" on the particular interests of each area, according to Esteban Redolfi, the head of Mobile Week 2019. For example, the activities in Lleida, which has a lot of farming, are about integrating better technology into food production.