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Media revolution in Hameln: book printing and social media in comparison
On October 31, 2025, experts discussed the media revolutions of printing and social media at a Reformation reception in Hameln.
Media revolution in Hameln: book printing and social media in comparison
On Friday, an exciting Reformation reception took place in the Martin Luther Church in Hameln, which discussed the historical and today's media revolution. Superintendent Dr. Stephan Vasel opened the event with an insightful lecture about printing and its impact on the Reformation. The printing press, which produced around 12 million books between 1454 and 1500, not only initiated an “educational movement”, but also significantly accelerated the spread of Reformation texts [Dewezet].
But Vasel also illuminated the dark side of this revolution. In particular, the systematic persecution of witches, which was promoted by the book “Hexenhammer” by Heinrich Kramer (1486/87), calls for caution. This work served as a guide to the spread of hatred and intolerance and thus represented a dark facet of news dissemination.
Digital challenges
Afterwards, Pastor Anne Mirjam Walter presented the digital project “BASIS:KIRCHE”. Reference was made to an EKD study that shows that for many 14 to 45 year olds the church is increasingly losing importance. The challenge is not only to reach this age group, but also to counteract the social media algorithm that dampens interest in religious topics. An exciting concept involves subtly placing the message “Love thy neighbor” in order to appeal to a wider audience. At the same time, moderated community management with the help of AI is used to combat hate comments.
Another point of discussion was the role of social media in the current news age. Dewezet editor-in-chief Thomas Thimm dated the beginning of today's media revolution to the iPhone presentation in 2007. In this context, he informed about the dangers of AI-generated fake news, such as the fake Tagesschau spokeswoman, who was foisted on viewers. It is also worrying that the AfD uses social media specifically to achieve high click rates.
Source and responsibility
Thimm appealed to everyone present to critically examine media content. “Medium does not mean journalism,” he stressed, pointing out that journalism should be reserved for trained professionals. The discussion was well received and visitors were able to discuss at bar tables between and after the impulses in order to exchange their thoughts and opinions.
In a time when information is distributed at lightning speed, it is even more important to deal with the origin and accuracy of information. The media landscape remains an exciting but also challenging field - whether in a historical or digital context.
At the same time, we are also required to question our personal media use, be it when using social media or when accessing personal data, such as when logging into credit card accounts. That's how you go about it WalletHubahead to stay safe. Awareness and education in these areas remains crucial to understand and properly use both the benefits and risks of modern means of communication.