Miriam Rasch

Listening is not necessarily what our digital platforms and media encourage, quite the opposite. But now that everyone in the post-digital world can express themselves without any problem, who is actually listening? And if ‘smart’ devices may or may not secretly listen to everything we say, isn’t it important to counter that with a different kind of listening? Perhaps listening can be a small form of resistance against the domination of algorithms, fake news, and troll factories.

Under the title “Listening Exercises”, Miriam Rasch is working on an essay book to uncover the potential solutions that listening provides and the questions it answers. Four key themes emerge throughout her quest: the influence of technology on listening, the tradition of testimony, practical exercises for cultivating listening skills, and listening as a sensory receptivity. Rasch hopes to shed light on the value of listening as a practice and its potential to create spaces of empathy and understanding amidst the noise and division of our digital age.