Throughout the Reformation Year 2017, this site offers trendsetters and thought leaders a place to present their notions of change and innovation. What are the potentials and needs for current and future-oriented “reformations”?
The Web has empowered us all to become broadcasters. This leads to new questions, which we as a society must find answers to. In times of “fake news”, it is important to see that we bear the same responsibility that until recently only journalists bore: Should I share this contribution, or not? How can I find out whether a message or an internet source true or not?
The same questions also arise in dealing with data in times of Big Data, global surveillance and lacking IT security. How can we learn to take responsibility ourselves and do our bit to make the Web safer and not cluelessly leave our data where it can then be used by others without asking?
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One of the greatest social challenges of the present is how to remedy the lack of digital education. If we worked to counter this lack, we could at least slow down many negative effects such as the often unchecked spread of hoaxes and sloppiness in IT security. In contrast to driving a car in traffic, we are not taught how to move confidently on the Web and watch out for all the snares and pitfalls.
For this we need more than soapbox oratory from politicians. Teaching media and digital competence to all parts of society is one of the most important contemporary challenges we face. This key task should be worth our effort!
Biography
Markus Beckedahl is the founder and editor in chief of „netzpolitik.org“, a blog dealing with politics in the digital society. He is co-founder and shareholder of Newthinkg Communications GmbH and he cofounded „re:publica“, one of Europe`s leading conferences about digital culture.
