More related content on the BRIDGE
- Gaming Fireside 9 December 5:40 - 6:00PM
The Game That Plays You
We think we play games. But what if games are the ones playing us? This session dives into how modern games learn your behavior, control emotion, and predict your next move. It’s a wake-up call for creators and players who live inside systems that know them better than they know themselves.
Explore by Instagram - Creator Economy Fireside 9 December 1:45 - 2:05PM
What Happens When Creators Become Policymakers?
In 2024, YouTuber Fidias Panayiotou and Spanish influencer Alvise Pérez were elected to the European Parliament, marking a conversion of digital virality into political authority. Their rise, fueled by massive online followings and anti-establishment narratives, reflects a growing appetite among younger voters for alternative forms of representation. How will this new wave of leadership reshape democratic institutions, accountability, and public trust?
Explore by Instagram - Creator Economy Panel 8 December 2:40 - 3:10PM
Taste as a Cultural Bridge
Every dish tells a story of roots, memories, and creativity. In this session, Abir El Saghir and Abu Julie share how food content has evolved into a cultural bridge, connecting audiences through shared taste and emotion. From traditional recipes to viral trends, they explore how creators use flavor as a form of storytelling, turning kitchens into global stages where culture, creativity, and community come together.
Explore by InstagramSpeakers
- Music Fireside 8 December 4:00 - 4:15PM
The Universal Language Connecting a Divided World
At a time when words divide and algorithms amplify differences, music remains one of the world’s last true bridges, uniting billions through shared rhythms and emotion. This session’s focus is on music’s enduring role as a global connector, exploring how sound becomes story, how emotion becomes economy, and how artists become ambassadors of something greater than entertainment. Audience members learn how data, digital platforms, and live experiences can bring us closer rather than further apart. Music may be an industry, but it is also a common language. It’s one that still has the power to rebuild trust, empathy, and belonging in a fractured age.
Explore by Instagram - Media Keynote 10 December 2:30 - 2:50PM
A Satirist's Survival Playbook
For comedians like Ahmed Albasheer, laughter has never been just entertainment. It’s been an act of defiance. From surviving assassination attempts to building one of the Arab world’s most influential political satire shows, Albasheer has turned humor into resistance, reflection, and reform. In this intimate conversation, he unpacks the price of speaking truth through comedy, how satire can still thrive under censorship and conflict, and what the next generation of storytellers can learn about courage in an age where jokes can shake regimes.
Forum Stage - Media Fireside 8 December 10:40 - 11:00AM
The Comfort Crisis in Media
Once defined by bold bets on new ideas and voices, media today has grown cautious amid consolidation, short-term metrics, and technological disruption. In this discussion, we ask how the industry can rediscover its edge, reinvigorate risk-taking, experimentation, and creative ambition. As leaders navigate shifting funding models, technological disruptions, and the rise of independent creators and citizen journalists, this discussion explores what it takes to build companies, and cultures, that lead rather than follow in media.
Forum Stage