What are the risks and opportunities of social media? What does the accelerating pace of technology’s integration into culture entail? Javier Mazza—a philosophy graduate, academic, and researcher—answered these questions during the online conference “How Not to Be Surprised by What Technology Does to Us.”
The event, which was part of a series of conferences organized by the Department of International Studies, took place on Thursday, September 24, 2020. This conference was held as part of the Media Literacy Against Disinformation Initiative (MLADI) program, which was developed and proposed by the Center for the Study of Contemporary Open Societies (CESCOS) and sponsored by the Embassy of the United States of America.
Javier Mazza holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Montevideo and a specialization in communication, culture, and communication strategies from the Catholic University of Uruguay. He contributes as a columnist specializing in popular philosophy to various local and international media outlets. His academic research focuses on narrative-related discursive modes (primarily in relation to personal identity), discourse on social media, philosophy, and technology.
The mechanics of social media
“Humans began developing technology out of necessity, to make up for our shortcomings, ”Mazza said.
The expert explained that, while social media has made it possible to receive information instantly, “we don’t always have the time to consider whether what we’re seeing warrants a spontaneous, quick reaction or whether it warrants taking the time to think. If we take the time to think, we may miss out on the conversation or make decisions that might come too late.”
“All social media platforms operate differently. If we’re going to use them, we need to understand how they work; otherwise, we’re being used by the platforms, not using them,” the expert said.
The Importance of Media Literacy
Media literacy is a “tool that can help bridge the intergenerational gap in understanding. It is the ability to develop a critical perspective on the effects of technology, both on social structures and at the individual level.” It involves understanding the channels through which information flows.
“There is nothing inevitable about the direction technology is taking if we are willing to look closely,” Mazza noted. “Why do we need media literacy now more than ever? The internet is the first convergent medium in human history.”
“We have never before had a medium like the Internet at our disposal. This is the first time that text, images, and sound have converged in a single medium. We are witnessing a unique moment in the history of human cultural development,” the expert said.
Mazza defined acceleration as “the ability to travel the same path faster and faster.” In that sense, “we are in the midst of an acceleration of the processes by which technologies are penetrating our culture.” Acceleration can be problematic. While we are aware of the starting point and the destination, we do not understand the journey.“We do not understand the effect, but we experience it.”
“Today’s media tools are going to become an essential part of education. Books have been around for about 500 years and have already become the cultural format of that era. It seems that these tools will become the cultural format over the next 20 to 30 years,” Mazza said. “So we’re going to have to get used to the idea of thinking actively, constantly, and responsibly about the tools we use.”