On 9-13 June 2019, the Second International Conference “Tangible and Intangible Impact of Information and Communication in the Digital Age” was held in the framework of the XI International IT-Forum in Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia). The event was organized by UNESCO IITE, the Russian Committee of the UNESCO Information for All Programme, Interregional Library Cooperation Center, Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support by the Government of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Ugra.
The conference was aimed at contributing to the efforts to balance the pace of development in the field of information, communication and related technologies and the ability of science and the society to comprehend the changing reality and thus influence the vector and nature of progress.
The interdisciplinary conference brought together about 100 participants from 33 countries – academicians and practitioners from the field of ICT and media, as well as philosophers, policy-makers, social scientists, representatives of higher educational institutions and research centres, libraries, public authorities, private sector and civil society institutions.
During the conference, the participants discussed the following topics:
- Digital age: Quo Vadis?
- Freedom of information: global challenges for utopia
- Preservation of cultural and scientific heritage in the digital age
- Malicious use of artificial intelligence and international psychological security
- Media and information literacy and ethics
- Technologies and linguistic diversity
Ms. Tatiana Murovana, programme specialist at UNESCO IITE, contributed as a moderator to the plenary session “Digital age: Quo Vadis?”.
Within the conference, UNESCO IITE also organized the thematic discussion “Media and Information Literacy and Ethics” moderated by Ms. Dorothy Gordon, Member of UNESCO IITE Governing Board; Chair of the Intergovernmental Council of the UNESCO Information for All Programme; Chair of IFAP Working Group for Information Literacy.
The thematic discussion included the following presentations:
- Media and Information Literacy in the Digital Age: a Set of Competencies or a Tool for Self-Development?
MUROVANA Tatiana, Programme Specialist, UNESCO IITE (Moscow, UNESCO)
- Information Ethics and UNESCO’s Work
DU TOIT Jaco, Programme Specialist, Section for Universal Access and Preservation, Knowledge Societies Division, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO (Paris, UNESCO)
- Teaching Media and Information Literacy to the Youth in the Face of Post-Truth: Testing Cognitive Biases, Detecting Disinformation and Misinformation
SAN DIEGO Therese Patricia, Programme Officer, Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication; Faculty Member, Miriam College (Manila, Philippines)
- The Relevance of Information Ethics Programmes: A Case Study of Six African Countries
FISCHER Rachel, Research Officer, University of Pretoria (Pretoria, South African Republic)
- Tomorrow’s Risks: Impulses of the New Era
DZYALOSHINSKY Iosif, Professor, National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow, Russia)
- Media and Information Literacy as a Means of Preventing Implicit Impacts on Individuals in the Media Environment
ZHILAVSKAYA Irina, Head, UNESCO Chair on Media and Information Literacy and Media Education of Citizens, Moscow State Pedagogical University (Moscow, Russia)
The conference participants agreed that current and emerging technologies raise significant and urgent issues, which lead to the need for critical considerations from different disciplines: science and technology, education, philosophy, culture and linguistic studies. Technologies are advancing rapidly, but decision-makers and society sometimes fail to respond to the growing challenges and therefore it is imperative to analyze the current developments, understand the limitations and disadvantages, and propose appropriate solutions.
The final document of the Second International Conference “Tangible and Intangible Impact of Information and Communication in the Digital Age” is presently being prepared by the expert working group, including the representative of UNESCO IITE.
