Speaker
Description
Online social media can give a false illusion of unity. It’s so gratifying to get all those Likes! But deep down we know, that shot of dopamine is not true connection; we must go beyond optical allyship and follow through with concerted action to break links in oppressive chains and forge stronger chains of peace and compassionate justice. In this session, I hope to connect with like-minded spirits who share my passion to promote the responsible use of online social media for peace and justice, with mindful awareness of the connection between responsibility and responsiveness as opposed to reactivity. I will share experiences both in the classroom, promoting media literacy among my students as an essential competency for global citizenship, and outside the classroom in my peace activism. I will refer especially to the work of Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa (journalist and author of How To Stand Up to a Dictator) and Rivera Sun (poet and novelist, author of Skylandia, Billionaire Buddha, and The Dandelion Insurrection) and facilitate discussion about ways to develop a habit of constant, sustained and sustainable peacemaking effort on a daily basis through social media and various genres of writing in various venues.
