IGF 2023 WS #429 Youth and Digital Content: Gen Z’s Trust and Access

Subtheme

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Emerging Technologies
Blockchain, Digital Assets & Web 3-based Ecosystems
Metaverse

Organizer 1: Agnese Gerharde, 🔒
Organizer 2: Lori Schulman, 🔒
Organizer 3: Bharadwaj Jaishankar, IndusLaw
Organizer 4: Christine Strutt, Von Seidels

Speaker 1: Yoshi Murakami, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Wiramrudee Mokkhavesa, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Benjamin Dahl Mikkelsen, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Jacob Hundahl Fransen, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Edmon Chung, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group

Moderator

Lori Schulman, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Online Moderator

Christine Strutt, Private Sector, African Group

Rapporteur

Agnese Gerharde, Private Sector, Intergovernmental Organization

Format

Panel - 60 Min

Policy Question(s)

1. How internet governance could influence Gen Z’s trust and access to digital content?
2. Does the intellectual property have a role in creating a sense of trust in innovation of the digital content, especially regarding the use of blockchain? Can the intellectual property help to strengthen the access to the digital content and how?
3. How emerging technologies can help to build Gen Z’s trust to the digital content, whether metaverse and its tools, like avatars, would provide privacy?

What will participants gain from attending this session? The participants joining online and onsite will gain new knowledge, insight and understanding on youth and digital content on Gen Z’s trust and access. The participants will be able to engage in the discussion by interactive polling activities. The session will provide new ideas how internet governance could influence Gen Z’s trust and access to digital content, as well as provide views on the intellectual property’s role in creating a sense of trust in innovation.

Description:

Gen Z comprises almost half of the consumer population and continues to grow faster and more distinctively from other consumer segments. While Gen Z has similarities with Millennials, Gen Z’s perception towards emerging technologies is unique as they are digitally sophisticated and gain their first experience with the digital content and brands via the video games from early age. Therefore, the concerns of Gen Z should be factored into ongoing IGF discussions on creating a safe digital content and access to it as technologies rapidly advance. Therefore, the International Trademark Association (INTA) continues to unpack the previous discussions during the IGF 2021-2022 Lightning Talks, and propose to host a full follow-up workshop with diverse panel, including representatives of Gen Z. The session touches on the IGF 2023 sub-theme: AI & Emerging Technologies.

The panel discussion aims to: 1) continue to discuss previous findings with a particular focus on Gen Z’s trust and access to the digital content; 2) explore how emerging technologies are great solutions for building Gen Z’s trust and access to digital content in different regions, in particular, in Asia; 3) discuss appropriate tools for Gen Z’s access and trust to digital content, including intellectual property protection.

Expected Outcomes

INTA expects to continue to discuss and raise awareness of youth and digital content and how their trust and access has been shaped by emerging technologies in different regions. The session plans to have an interactive element of engaging both in person and online participants in interactive polls. These immediate responses will shape the discussion as well as be basis for future talks.

Hybrid Format: The session will provide an engaging experience for participants joining online and onsite by using instant polling mechanisms to gauge audience members’ estimates: Gen Z views, their own level of trust with the digital content and their access to it, influence of emerging technologies on the digital content, etc. The near-instant results will allow the presenters, both online and in person, to focus on the main concerns of the public and lead the discussion on youth’s trust and access to digital content. We plan to use Zoom and Menti, if available in Kyoto.