“We were (and still are) witnessing the collision of general-purpose technologies.” Azeem Azhar believes that technology and societal change are more closely intertwined than they have ever been in history. But some of these technologies, he worries, could cause civil and national unrest due to the ensuing destabilisation they’ll cause. These new technologies will shift power from certain groups onto others, break the status quo, and cause political unrest in others because of said technologies ability to strip individuals of their agency, putting them at a heavy disadvantage. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here
Merv
February 1, 2023
