IGF 2020 WS #152 Cultural processes in the age of the digital revolution

Information

Session

Thematic Track:

Topic(s):

Community Networks
Digital Skills
Digital Transformation

Organizer 1: Technical Community, Eastern European Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Technical Community, Eastern European Group
Organizer 4: Technical Community, Eastern European Group

Speaker 1: Philippine Balmadier, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Miroslaw Filiciak, Private Sector, Eastern European Group
Speaker 3: Anna Kalinowska, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 4: Janice Richardson, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Anna Rywczyńska, Technical Community, Eastern European Group

Format:

Debate - Auditorium - 90 Min

Description:

Functioning in the internet space is an extremely multi-threaded and complex process, currently very closely related to all social development processes. Having in mind the global approach related to the internet, it is crucial to remember about the individual citizens and their families as well, that learn to govern the digital revolution in their everyday lives. Bearing in mind this individual context - we can talk about a "digital family" - that is, a family that functions in a specific digitized reality and, depending on the capitals possessed and patterns developed, manage this technology in a way possible for them. This individualized approach is very important in the broad context of understanding global culture of the network. This "digital family" is a multidimensional and multifaceted family immersed in a mediated environment. This is the place where the habitus determining the functioning in the world of digital technology is created. It is a family which, based on its cultural capital, manages everyday internet-related practices in various ways. A "digital family" can be one that tightly fills its surroundings and most of their free time with digital devices, it can be a family that is constantly online, having even only one device for the whole house, but colloquially speaking "pulled out" by the household members. Or it can also be a family that consciously and intentionally prepares to function in an increasingly digitized everyday life and that leads children to grow ready to take up the so-called "professions of the future". How children would be prepared to be the aware digital citizens depends not only on their careers but the whole environment including innovative educational processes, decision makers and business responsibility. Other dimension of the cultural processes in the digital environment is the individual as the subject, who through self-control can regulate his or her life processes, thus striving for perfection. The original concept requires an update, due to the processes of digitalization of reality, and the common trend of social networking. Moreover, new technological tools emerge which change the method of self-control and improvement. The digital transformation includes also the role of social practices in using online tools which fulfil the definition of technologies of self. Those perspectives of the individuals within the digital revolution will be supported by the emerging qualitative and quantitative research both in the context of the family’s internet management as well as of the dynamic of “self” as a subject to the constant interaction with others within a network reality. The sustainability of any society depends on the values and attitudes, the social and emotional skills and the knowledge and cultural understanding of its people[1]. Yet technology-rich environments are only too often depriving children of the interpersonal interaction upon which these are built. As profiling is rapidly replacing pluralism, children are growing up on a warped media diet, might be losing cultural and civic markers in the process. The COVID-19 confinement has it only accentuated, turning the home into a remotely-connected school and workplace, detached from the sort of face-to-face and multi-cultural encounters that schools and the community bring. Will this time deepen the processes of digitization of everyday life or on the contrary, push us to direct relations. What will sustainable education after coronavirus look like. These considerations will be initiated in the introductory lecture and continued in the debate. The workshop will be organised as a panel discussion with 5 speakers and a moderator and will be started with the agenda introduction by the panel moderator – (5’) Moderation: Karl Hopwood (member of the British Council for Internet Security, UK Council for Internet Safety, UKCIS) The discussion will be preceded by the opening lecture given by the Prof. Mirosław Filiciak - Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences SWPS; “Human – media practices in the digital age (everyday life management, effectiveness and well-being) with a special focus on the digital life in the shadows of the global pandemic” (15’) After the opening lecture the conclusions from the quantitative research, which was intended to depict the modern family in the context of diverse practices related to the digital media usage will be presented (5’) Anna Rywczyńska - Head of NASK Digital Education Department) After those two speeches next 2 panelists will be asked to present a short (5’) presentation bringing their perspective on the human – media tensions within cultural processes that would be key points for the following discussion (10’): Janice Richardson (project innovator, educational expert and author), Anna Kalinowska (cultural studies expert). After the presentations, the moderator will organize a participatory discussion (55’) with four panelists, raising questions linked to the policy questions and making room for questions from the audience (both present and remote). There will be a supporting moderator facilitating online participation via social networks and user-generated multiple-choice quizzes platforms. Young people voice will be present through 15-year old Philippine Balmadier. She will act as an observer of the debate and will comment on what the panel says (5’) and will be responding to questions from the audience as well. List of Speakers: • prof. dr hab Mirosław Filiciak Mirosław Filiciak is media researcher, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Director of the Institute of Humanities at SWPS University (Warsaw, Poland). He is interested in the theory of media studies, archaeology of media, and the relations between media technologies and cultural practices. He was the principal investigator on numerous qualitative and quantitative research projects, focused on topics such as mediated cultural participation, social circulation of media content, or collecting, restoring and emulating old technical media. His current research includes an ethnographic study of the smartphone and its users. He collaborates with multiple public cultural, educational and research institutions, businesses and NGOs. • Janice Richardson Project innovator, educational expert and author, Janice is a founder of Safer Internet Day (celebrated worldwide). She coordinated the European Commission’s Insafe network from 2004-2014, and founded the EC-funded ENABLE initiative (tackling bullying through social-emotional skill development - 2014 to 2016). She runs an EU-wide youth council (ECDG), is advisor to several European and international organisations, sits on Facebook’s Safety Advisory Board, has worked extensively with governments in the MENA region and other parts of Africa, (co)authored a dozen books on digital citizenship and 21st century literacy, six of which are published by the Council of Europe. • Anna Kalinowska Cultural studies expert, a graduate of bachelor, master and PhD of the University SWPS in the process of defending (which was temporarily delayed due COVID-19 pandemia) her thesis Media practices as the technologies of self. The „I” production in the age of digital control. She has ten years of research experience in the cultural politics and digital culture fields also in developing the author's scientific and commercial research in these areas. Her specialization dimensions are: the network sociology, the user identity and the adaptation of the technologies of self concept into the digital age. Anna is the member of Youth Research Center (youth.swps.edu.pl), PTBRiO, Polish Media Education Association and supports production of The Media Education Congers and Tech/Spo Conference. • Anna Rywczyńska Co-developer and Coordinator of the Polish Safer Internet Centre and the Manager of the NASK (National Research Institute’s) Digital Education Departament. A graduate of the University of Warsaw - Faculty of Journalism and Political Science, with a major in Media Economics and the PhD Candidate at the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Since 2006 Anna Rywczyńska has been working as the Overall Coordinator for the Polish Safer Internet Centre. An expert in the field of kids’ and youth’s safe use of online content and new media. She is a lecturer at series of conferences, the author of articles, tools and social campaigns dedicated to online safety of youngest users. In recent years, she has been involved in, inter alia, the works of an expert groups under the ENISA Agency (European Network and Information Security Agency), ECSO (European Cybersecurity Organization) as well as Safer Internet for Children launched by the EC in 2018. Since 2003, a co-organizer of the SECURE conference, dedicated to network security, and since 2007 she has been one of the founders and organizers of the annual international conference titled „Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online”. • Philippine Balmadier 15-year-old Philippine is enrolled in a prestigious bilingual program in Paris where she will sit the OIB exam in 2023 to complete dual degrees in French and English. She was recently one of 9 students in France to be chosen to do an internship with the French Prime Minister. She has been speaking internationally since age 12, when she was invited to speak at a Council of Europe conference on digital citizenship and internet safety for children. At IGF 2018 she was panelist in a session led by major social media providers. Along with 17 other young Europeans in the EU Council for Digital Good, Philippine strives to educate peers and lobby on making the internet a better place. In 2019-20 the Council co-authored a digital citizenship activity book for use in primary schools. Moderator on site: • Karl Hopwood Karl Hopwood is an independent online safety expert. He is a member of UKCIS (UK Council for Internet Safety) and sits on the UKCIS evidence group and the UKCIS education group as well as on the advisory board for the UK Safer Internet Centre and the education advisory board for CEOP. He also sits on Twitter’s trust and safety council and the Roblox trust and safety board where he represents the Insafe network. Karl has worked for a number of key players in the UK and abroad including CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre), BECTA (British Educational and Communications Technology Agency), the European Commission, the UN and several Local Authorities within the UK and in Europe. As an ex primary headteacher, he continues to work closely in schools across Europe with children, young people, parents and teachers to develop safer online behaviours and the promotion of digital literacy. Karl has been employed for the last 13 years as an in-house consultant for INSAFE which is the coordinating node of the EU Better Internet for Kids programme where he is responsible for the coordination of safer internet helplines across Europe. Karl is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Marie Collins Foundation, a charity which supports young people who have been sexually abused and exploited online and is also a trustee of Childnet International. Karl has recently worked with a team developing a national online safety strategy in Rwanda and is also working with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to re-write their Child Online Protection Guidance. Rapporteur: • Julia Piechna Since 2007 she has been working at NASK in the Digital Education Department. From the beginning she has also been actively involved in the EC Safer Internet projects (PSIC coordinator in 2014-2015 and EC BIK NET Pilot Project in January-December 2014). During her work for NASK, she has gained experience in organizing a number of conferences and training sessions devoted to the issue of safety of children using the internet, developing educational programmes, conducting media campaigns and internet services.. Since 2007, she has been a member of the Organizing Committee for the international conference “Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online”. She is involved in the works of the Expert Group on Safer Internet for Children launched by the EC in 2018. She is a graduate from the Faculty of Psychology at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities and a postgraduate from the faculty of CSR at Kozminski University. Online Moderator: • Andrzej Rylski Since 2016, Andrzej has been working at NASK, organizing conferences and media campaigns for the Polish Safer Internet Center. His main field of expertise are children's safety on the Internet and online privacy. From 2017, he coordinates the Youth Panel for the Polish Safer Internet Centre at NASK. He is a graduate of general pedagogy at the University of Warsaw.

Issues:

The workshop will tackle various aspects of culture processes that exist and develop within the global network with the special focus on the individuals facing the digitalisation of the everyday life. Part of the discussion will be identification and description of diverse systems of using digital technology in the context of media-related practices and their correlation with various aspects of family life. Recent years have been a period when digital technology had become an integral part of daily life and ability of the effective and safe internet management at home reached a great importance. Ways to stay up to date with innovation and at the same time keep the balance between online and offline activities is one of the challenges that the modern society faces. Even when deciding to operate at a distance to digital technology, we are still an involuntary participant and recipient of the changes it causes. Initially, the internet was considered in terms of applications, development of competences and safe use following two separate paths: the path of technology and the path of social conditions – today, a holistic approach is becoming more common, noting the deep multi-aspect of the network space. The vision that accompanied the spread of the internet is also changing. Decentralized in its idea, it loses its original character and virtual space is increasingly taken over by "big players". Simplifying the dilemma, we can distinguish two approaches: one that compares the old days of centralized media with new media wants to see in digital technology the source of equitable access to knowledge and equalization of social opportunities, while the other sees the recipient of the network locked in an information bubble. These contradictory theories will be an important part of the discussion especially in the time of pandemic that for one would be seen as the conviction of individuals on profiled internet and others would focus on access to knowledge, loved ones, culture, information, without which the time of quarantine would make the functioning of the society impossible. Another issue would be the problem of sustainable development in the context of digital technology related to access to devices and media competence in using the network. Contexts so crucial in the situation of a sudden shift to distance learning and remote work, when it turned out how unequally are capitals distributed, both cultural and economic. The nowadays challenge would be how to secure common access to technology and digital skills to make societies equal as internet users, enabling them effective participation in the changing world. By effective participation understanding also being resilient to online threats especially for the youngest users. In that point on a great importance will be the participation of the youth representative in the panel that can comment on those perspectives. New opportunities may also be associated with the post pandemic situation. The internet has become a mine of culture and art at an incredible pace, which gives completely different chances of accessibility. Schools had to immediately adapt to remote teaching, which initiated the often-standing processes, corporations can gain a completely different openness to remote work. Internet, who was often described as relationship thief, moved to relationship maintenance tool, from technology that divides generations we could see a turn into technology that connects generations - with the separation of grandchildren and grandparents. Internet in eyes of many moved from being a “time killer” into a “time filler” – giving content and functionality really improving the existence of the society. The great challenge both for workshop panelists but mostly for world-wide professionals would be on how can we use this newly created potential.

Policy Question(s):

1. How can we ensure the sustainable development in the context of digital technology related to access to devices and equal distribution of media competence? 2. Are there any models of internet management in the family that could guarantee effective and safe functioning on the global network? 3. Is the internet user ready, at the price of time saved, to automate her/his actions, behaviours, and thus often beliefs? 4. Have older generations failed in bridging the chasm to ensure future sustainable development and what paths are the young generations suggesting? 5. What is the road forward to overcome today’s confusions to family, human rights, culture and democracy within the digital transformation? 6. Is profiling on the internet replacing pluralism, are children growing up on a warped media diet and the COVID-19 confinement has it accentuated, turning the home into a remotely-connected school and workplace, will this time deepen the processes of digitization of everyday life or on the contrary, push societies to direct relations. 7. What will the sustainable education after coronavirus pandemic look like?

Expected Outcomes:

The session will provide participants with different views on the impact of the internet on the everyday life, will try to describe diverse systems of using digital technology in the context of media-related practices. Will familiarize participants with the definition of technologies of self and with the challenges that face individuals in relation to the sustainable digital transformation and with technology-rich environments. The workshop will be attended by researchers working on a daily basis in the academic environment as well as by professionals associated with the education and prevention sector, which is why the substantive effects resulting from the discussion would be used in two parallel ways, both as a material for scientific publications, as well as an important motivator and indication of undertaken social activities aimed at inclusive building of the digital citizenship. Moreover taking into account its international and cross-sectoral nature, the session may result in project cooperation both among the speakers as well as between persons attending the session. Questions from the audience can also become an inspiration for professionals in their future work in these areas.

Relevance to Internet Governance: The present is immersed in the ecosystem and network culture. We are individually and globally looking for our place in digitized reality, we make many choices based on our knowledge, assumptions and beliefs. Understanding, practical skills and the ability to analyse the consequences and ensure safety are needed within the revolutionary developing digital technology. These factors are extremely important in the context of the individual or social group's ability to manage the network in their lives. Practices related to the Internet are juxtaposed with many aspects of social functioning, including making friendships, relationship intensity, education, and gainful activity, and each person and the surrounding institutions - governmental, non-governmental, educational and business representatives - have a role to play in this process. The Council of Europe in the set of main competences, that guarantee a culture of democracy, indicates four main sections: 1. values, 2. attitudes, 3. skills, and 4. knowledge and critical understanding. The necessary knowledge and ability to critically adopt online content are extremely important in the context of effective functioning in a global network. A "digital citizen" is a person who masters competences in the field of democratic culture in order to be able to competently and positively engage in developing digital technologies and the digital citizenship education means empowering people of all ages by educating or acquiring competences to learn and actively participate in the digital society. Diverse processes of functioning with digital technology, complex issues of network management at the level of the individual, social groups and institutions guaranteeing effective and safe use of the network together with ensuring well-being of especially young internet users, will constitute the main thematic scope of the workshop, in line with the assumptions of the Internet Governance Forum, which, among other, is to promote and stimulate wide discussion on the place of technology in society. Internet management is key on the part of the individual user, on the part of parents and carers, and on the part of companies and institutions introducing digital solutions to everyday processes. Great responsibility also belongs to the education sector, which recently had to face, during the COVID 19 pandemic, the challenge of mass remote education and with difficulty as it is at the time of the lack of equally disseminated knowledge and infrastructure. These challenges would bring together representatives of all sectors and development branches.

Relevance to Theme: The internet can equalize social opportunities but at the same time it may intensify inequalities. According to many views, the internet does not so much affect processes but duplicates social processes and phenomena by multiplying them. Speaking about the issue of inclusion and counteracting exclusions in the context of the internet, we must bear in mind many dimensions, several of which will be discussed during the workshop, including in particular the educational, infrastructural, gender and content dimensions. Based on qualitative and quantitative research on the “digital family” that will be presented during the debate, it can be concluded that inequalities between families and within families relate not only to access to equipment, but also to its use, awareness of potential and threats, as well as to existing gender labelling. Very often we find confirmation for the definition distinction between the term access and accessibility, when only access does not ensure taking profit from the innovative technology. Among different problematic situations the below phenomena will be present in the discussions and presentations of experts in the workshop, including educational, infrastructural, gender and content challenges. • We have equipment, but due to the low cultural capital, lack of interest or knowledge on the part of parents and carers - technology is only a time consumer - it is extremely interesting how this picture will be influenced by the experience of an epidemic when the need for a completely different way of using technology in home, forcing unprecedented large-scale parental involvement - the time of IGF will be the right moment to share first conclusions and observations. • I do not have equipment, I have a desire, but due to the low economic capital without support of the education system in the field of skills and the state in terms of access to infrastructure - I will remain excluded - experts will wonder what kind of system approach could work in combating this type of inequality on a local scale and global • My peers are present online, I do not, and I feel excluded from a peer group, or vice versa, although I live far from my peers, I am in constant contact with them through social networks - experts will share good practices on how to manage access to technology by the youngest wisely, to build their social networks with the greatest profit. In this context, there will also be questions about building “meaningful connectivity” and how to protect young people from the dangers and consequences of online profiling. • I belong to the older generation; I do not have the equipment or competence to function in the digital world - without comprehensive social programs I feel that I cannot keep up with the speeding world of technology. The challenge of fighting exclusion on the grounds of age is so multidimensional that it requires a comprehensive approach - starting from building purposeful content, through bridging the differences arising from material and competence resources. In the context of gender equality - in families (based on Polish studies cited above), there is still a disproportion in decision-making regarding the purchase of digital tools and their use. Mostly men point themselves as people who deal with technology at home. Women often define their competences as lower than their partners. We also see an uneven development of the relationships supported by technology - greater synergy can be seen in the father-son relationship (mainly due to computer games), smaller with the daughter. At the same time, mothers are involved in the school and social life of children, they learn about the potential threats related to digital technology in children's lives, but knowledge transfer between social and technological approaches often does not occur, despite the fact that experts in recent years emphasize the need for synergy in approaching the internet, noting the inseparable link between technology and social processes. The experts' goal will be to reflect on good practices supporting parents in building a conscious and committed model of intercourse with the internet within their families and how to do it wisely to avoid the paradigm of threats. Low or medium digital competences increase vulnerability to online threats, but attempting to eliminate problems by the temptation to disconnect children from the Internet, and not by balanced education in the field of dangers, and opportunities, is particularly harmful because it does not allow for qualitative learning and purposeful participation in the digital space. According to the Recommendation (Recommendation CM / Rec (2019) 10 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on developing and promoting digital citizenship education), the digital environment provides an unprecedented means for people to express themselves, to assemble and participate, and opens new opportunities to improve access and inclusion. This will only happen if we ensure that digital citizenship education is carried out with the support of competent guides, implemented with the wise assistance of parents and supported by institutional system programs.

Discussion Facilitation:

The debate will be structured in the following way - at the beginning an introductory lecture on the topic, then short presentations given by each panellist, and then the moderator will organize a participatory discussion (55’) raising questions linked to the policy questions and making room for questions from the audience (both present and remote).This method of construction will make the participants learn the general scope of issues, experts' specializations and then will have opportunity to exchange opinions. The voices of experts will also be commented on by a representative of the young generation, who will also answer the questions from the audience. Online Participation: There will be the online moderator assisting the remote participants. To broaden participation, social media (Facebook of the workshop organiser - NASK) will also be used. The dedicated hashtags will be used as well. The workshop organizers will promote IGF Conference through their communication channels to reach as wide as possible online participation. For the workshop the official online participation tool will be used. When the question part of the debate starts panelists will be open to answer to remote participants enquiries also. The organizers will ask for the opinions the online participants and will attempt to share and discuss those views with physical participants. Moreover to ensure easy exchange of ideas and opinions additional the user-generated multiple-choice quizzes will be applied.

Online Participation:

Usage of IGF Official Tool. Additional Tools proposed: The user-generated multiple-choice quizzes will be applied (such as kahoot).

SDGs:

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-Being
GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequalities

Reference Document