German Journalist Visits U.S. To Observe Digital Culture

            Johannes Boie, a German journalist covering the impact of technology on society, politics and economy, is participating in a program to gain an understanding of digital development in the United States.

            “It’s one of the most important things you can write or report on,” Boie said to students at the University of Georgia Monday morning.

            Over the course of the next three months, Boie will travel the U.S. with the Transatlantic Media Network program, operated by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Boie at UGA Monday morning.

            Boie will visit over thirteen states, but is particularly interested in observing technology companies in the Silicon Valley, such as Google and Facebook.

            “I think technology itself is neutral,” Boie said. He explained that there is a lack of comprehension about information sharing in his German audience – they do not understand that social media is a sort of “transaction.”

            The 30-year-old Munich resident hopes to speak with as many people as possible while visiting the U.S. so he can write about digital development with new information.

            Boie is a writer for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the largest German national subscription daily newspaper with a circulation of 400,000. Visit the website here: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/