Editorial

Gerhard Kowař

The idea of devoting an issue of our magazine to the subject of communication was only adopted after having been given more intensive thought.

Like all catchwords, the term communication has acquired shallow connotations as a result of constant and often indiscriminate use. Yes, of course, everything is communication! But upon closer examination, two things in particular become apparent: first of all, that the activities of KulturKontakt Austria (KKA) can be newly evaluated from this perspective, and second, that the work at KKA is now related to a surprisingly large extent to the new paradigm of the digital media. The spectrum ranges from copyright questions through data security to the preparation of social media guidelines. A change of perspective is always beneficial.

In this issue, the editorial staff deliberately chose to deal with the subject of communication across the whole range of meanings that the term conveys: as internal organisational communication, as public relations, as a consultancy service, as an artistic concern, as a target group issue and many others. We especially wanted to avoid belabouring the digital culture hype. In addition to the general discourse section, we felt it was very important to call attention to KKA’s entire range of communication services because they are an integral part of our daily work. We wanted to focus particularly and reflectively on this circumstance rather than merely taking it as a stereotypical basis for the general discussion. We hope that we have succeeded in doing so, and wish you enjoyable and enriching reading.