«It’s complicated. Let’s talk»

The organization “It’s complicated. Let’s talk” originated as a master’s thesis project in the HKB’s “Multimedia Communication & Publishing” program and received 6,000 Swiss francs in funding from the Democracy Foundation Basel (DSB). The project aimed to raise awareness among young people about democracy and political participation through an innovative approach. Democracy was understood as a relationship between the population and institutions and was conveyed using the metaphor of interpersonal relationships.

The project included a digital “relationship check” using a chatbot, the presentation of the results in an interactive scrollytelling format, and a public dialogue with politicians on Bundesplatz in Bern. With the help of a chatbot, participants were able to reflect on their relationship with democracy. The design was deliberately tailored to the media habits of Generation Z and relied on contemporary visual language, user-friendly navigation, and an aesthetic inspired by Instagram memes. The chatbot also served to capture the attitudes, expectations, and challenges of the younger generation regarding democratic processes. A total of around 800 people took part in the “Relationship Check.” The project is now in its final phase, and a relationship expert is evaluating the responses, which will be presented on the Instagram channel.

Click here to visit the website

I attended the closing event on June 19, 2026, at the HKB and was able to get a firsthand look at the results. The project convincingly achieved its goals and, particularly on social media, reached a significantly wider audience than originally expected. With over 160,000 views and more than 2,000 interactions, the project reached a large number of young people.

Particularly noteworthy are the creative concept, the professional implementation of the website, and the target-audience-oriented visual and communication style on Instagram. The project team has succeeded in presenting a complex and often abstract topic in an innovative, accessible, and substantively sound manner.

Noëlle Schnegg, Democracy Foundation Basel

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