SocialBRIDGES: Building Research InterDisciplinary Groups through E-conferences
Upcoming event: PRESENCE (19-20 May, 2025)
With 8 major events, the socialBRIDGES e-conferences are now hosted by TU Dresden.
The upcoming event in the socialBRIDGES series is organized by Merle Fairhurst (TU Dresden), Matthew McGinity (TU Dresden) and Gijs Huisman (Delft University of Technology) and aims to bring together creative minds from different disciplines to talk about and then discuss what presence means, why and in which contexts it may be a useful concept and how best to measure and manipulate it.
Watch out this space for more details on the exciting Programme and amazing speakers (coming soon!) of this next event.
And until then, you can catch up on our previous event on our socialBRIDGES YouTube channel accessible through our socialBRIDGES archive.

SocialBRIDGES: Presence
Goodall writes in her book Stage Presence: "If presence is quite literally about the here and now, technologies of representation may be seen as its enemies". But as we will explore in this conference, technological advancements can also shape and deepen our understanding of presence, guiding us through what it means, why and in which contexts it may be a useful concept, and how best to measure and manipulate it.
From the illusion of being in a mediated space to the feeling of sharing a moment with others, presence takes on different forms across disciplines. It is central to discussions in virtual and augmented reality, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, performance studies, and beyond. Are we truly "there" in a virtual world? What makes us feel the presence of others -- physically, socially, or emotionally? Can presence be trained, enhanced, or disrupted?
This conference will bring together creative minds from diverse fields to discuss, debate, and experiment with presence. Through talks, panels, and interactive sessions, we will explore the boundaries between embodiment and perception, illusion and reality, technology and human experience.