The rise of the internet promised a world of open and freely accessible information, where citizens would easily exchange ideas and build better societies. Social media would increase transparency, decentralize power and ultimately strengthen democracy. Twenty years later, that world feels like a far-fetched dream.
Today, a handful of private tech monopolies mediate our communications, proprietary algorithms use our data to manipulate our choices, and the very foundations of our democracy are under threat. Welcome to the age of surveillance capitalism.
How did we get here? And how do we dig ourselves out of this dystopia?
Come hear from four renowned experts about how the internet today is affecting civil society:
- Mark Kingwell, Philosophy professor, University of Toronto
- Mutale Nkonde, fellow at Data & Society Research Institute in New York City and expert in artificial intelligence governance
- Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications, McGill University
- Bianca Wylie, open government advocate and co-founder of Tech Reset Canada.
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This event is free and open to everyone, but you must register to attend. you can get a free ticket on this page.
Please note: this event serves as the pre-conference kick-off for Media Ethics, the 20th annual convention of the Media Ecology Association, hosted by the University of Toronto from June 27-30.
Schedule:
6pm: doors open. Come meet and connect with other people who care about these issues, as well as experts attending the Media Ethics convention. There will be a cash bar selling beer and wine, as well as snacks and a selection of sandwiches and wraps.
7pm: discussion begins. There will be two panel discussions until around 8pm, then an audience Q&A.
8:30pm: event ends.
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Please don't print your tickets! We're trying to reduce paper waste for Salon events, so please don't bother printing your ticket. We'll either scan your ticket on your smartphone or quickly find your name on our tablets and check you in.
