Breakfast meeting: "Who owns the democracy of the future?"

About the event

We discuss the conditions for democracy at a time when global tech companies and algorithms influence us more and more. How can young people take back power? Who sets the terms for what appears to be true, important and possible?

📆 Date/Time
13 May 2026, 08:00–09:00

📍Place
Pilestredet, Oslo
OsloMet campus Pilestredet 44, Fyrhuset

In connection with the Total Preparedness Year 2026, OsloMet and Kristiania University College invite you to the first of two breakfast meetings on the topic: Facts, knowledge and trust as the basis for the population’s ability to handle crises.

Young people own the future and will shape working life, politics and the public sphere. They will live the longest with the consequences of the decisions made today.

At the same time, they are shaped in an era where global platforms, algorithms and hidden influence mechanisms largely affect what we see, what we do not see, and what we believe in and share.

Democracy is weakened when we no longer agree on what is true, when lies spread faster than facts, and strong reactions pay off. Trust in institutions and authorities is reduced, and polarization increases. If young people are to own the future, power must be shifted. This requires political choices, better knowledge, and responsible institutions. Who controls the information on which we base our choices?

Who sets the terms for what appears to be true, important and possible? What does democratic preparedness mean, and what responsibilities do the authorities, academia and technology companies have? How do we strengthen young people’s critical skills without placing the responsibility on the individual alone? You are welcome to a breakfast meeting where we discuss how facts, knowledge and critical skills can strengthen young people’s preparedness – and ensure that they really become the bosses of their own lives.

Programme
08:00 Welcome by Christen Krogh, Rector of OsloMet
08:05 Who owns the truth in a time marked by conspiracies and disinformation? by Kristin Skare Orgeret, Professor at OsloMet and academic leader of one of OsloMet’s thematic research initiatives “A Resilient Democracy”
08:15 Disinformation in the Nordic region: Some differences in how we meet the challenges, by Bente Kalsnes, Professor at the Department of Communication, Kristiania
08:25 Presentation by Guri Melby, leader of the Liberal Party (Venstre) – political reflections on knowledge and trust in knowledge as a basis for society’s ability to handle crises. What can educational institutions do?
08:35 Panel discussion with the speakers and Sølve Kuraas, head of Tenk, the schools’ department at Faktisk.no. The discussion is led by OsloMet Rector Christen Krogh
09:00 End