Provocations: Is It Too Late to Save the Internet?

06 May 2026
06:30pm - 08:00pm
$10
The Capitol, 113 Swanston St, Melbourne

Buy tickets

It's time to debate the pros and cons of the internet as it rapidly speeds us toward an unpredictable future.

The internet – what's not to love? Join us for a lively debate that will explore what can be done to save the internet from irreversible enshittification!

This event will shine a light on the online corners of creativity and community, the up-and-downsides of AI and encryption – and what can be done to harness and improve our online lives.Hear from experts, academics and artists Robin Fox, Marieke Hardy, Vanessa Toholka, Rob Cover, Lizzie O'Shea, Lisa Given, Akanksha Malik, Kate Geck and Julian Thomas as they reboot, reclaim, and maybe even restore your faith in the online world.

Speakers

Rob Cover - Professor of Digital Communication and Director of the RMIT Digital Ethnography Research Centre, and Digital Harm expert
Robin Fox - Co-founder and Artistic Director of MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio)
Kate Geck - Interior Design Lecturer from RMIT's School of Architecture and Urban Design
Lisa Given - Director and Co-Founder, Centre for Human-AI Information Environments, Professor of Information Sciences and the School of Computing Technologies
Zoë Coombs Marr - Comedian, performer and actor
Akanksha Malik - data and AI consultant and co-founder of Women Coders
Lizzie O'Shea - Lawyer and author, co-founder and chair of Digital Rights Watch
Julian Thomas - Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S)
Hosted by Vanessa Toholka, technology commentator and radio broadcaster

This event is part of Provocations - RMIT University's Talks and Ideas series.

Buy tickets

Melbourne Fringe Opening Night Gala

29 Sep 2026

Beneath the glowing arches of RMIT University's iconic venue, The Capitol, the Melbourne Fringe Opening Night Gala crackles with life. A 90-minute spectacle of everything Fringe does best: bold ideas, high-voltage performances, and independent art with heat you can feel from the back row.

Andrew O'Hagan: On Friendship

06 Oct 2026

Acclaimed author Andrew O'Hagan joins Marieke Hardy to explore the friendships, encounters and connections that give our lives meaning.

Queering the Music Video

16 Oct 2026

The Capitol

Join us at The Capitol for the premiere of three revolutionary d/Deaf-accessible music videos from 'The Legend of Queen Kong', followed by a star-studded panel discussion exploring queer music, film and access.

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Provocations: Is It Too Late to Save the Internet?