Program in Dutch. Our opinions are drifting further and further apart, and we’re letting algorithms shape them. Social media, controlled by large and powerful tech companies, plays a central role in this. How will we look back on our social media use later in this century? How will it go down in history? We’ll explore these questions during the Debate of the Century. Together with experts Linda Duits and Kelli van der Waals and moderator Max Terpstra, they will ask each other questions about the world in which they will soon be living. Featuring a starring role for debate talents from the Barlaeus Gymnasium and Haarlemmermeer Lyceum Dalton.
About the Debate of the Century
How will we look back on the choices we make today thirty years from now? In Debate of the Century, we step back from the issues of the day and look ahead. In each episode, we delve into one major issue that will shape the future. No predictable panel discussion, but sharp opinions and a change of sides. A lively debate designed to give you the best possible information, because in the end, the audience decides: are you for or against?
At the heart of this are two pressing questions that touch on freedom and protection:
Should schools completely ban smartphones to protect students?
Should social media platforms be subject to legal restrictions, even if that conflicts with freedom of speech?
Speakers
Linda Duits
Linda Duits is a social scientist interested in power and society. She debunks hype surrounding young people and the media, offers incisive analysis of cultural trends, and shamelessly exposes hidden norms about sex. She doesn’t shy away from controversy, but at the same time, science is in her blood: she always bases her work on current, cutting-edge research.
Kelli van der Waals
Kelli van der Waals is a journalist and cultural critic. She writes a widely read column twice a week on the front page of Trouw and publishes reports and essays in publications such as NRC Handelsblad. She explores how technology shapes our thinking and our lives. She does so in the essay collection *Koud water* and in *Picture Perfect*, in which she offers a sharp and empathetic portrait of the smartphone generation.
Rutger Wessels
Rutger Wessels is a communications strategist and co-founder of Collectief Hier, an initiative that raises awareness about the impact of smartphones and social media on our daily lives. Through this organization, he organizes smartphone-free weekends, campaigns such as “Social Media-Free May,” and discussions about digital balance in schools and workplaces.
Moderator
Max Terpstra
Max Terpstra (born 1999) is a Dutch presenter who works for the public broadcaster BNNVARA. In 2021, Terpstra joined the BNNVARA Academy as an all-around producer. He was given his own segment, “Max Bijt Hond,” on the daily talk show “Khalid & Sophie.” For this segment, he interviewed guests such as Robbie Williams and Marina Abramović. In the personal documentary series “Verslaafd aan Verliezen,” Terpstra discussed his own gambling addiction and warned young people about the dangers of gambling. He is a co-host of 3 op Reis and, during Mai Verbij’s maternity leave, he hosted the segment “De Belbus” on the consumer affairs program Kassa.
