'Impact of Technology," Oct. 9: Can Social Media Make a Better World?
September 30, 2013
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Most of us understand the intent of social media: It allows people to keep in touch with each other across years and great distances; it fosters communities among various circles of friends, families, co-workers and classmates; it enables the news to reach us only seconds after it happens. Advocates of various social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook say that without it, the Internet is still largely a one-way street—class-based, undemocratic, static, and overtly focused on consumerism.
But is the phenomenon of social media living up to the hype? Can the Web be a truly egalitarian place, a virtual public square where all ideas and perspectives have their day? Does it improve lives, or is it harming us?
On Wednesday, Oct. 9, the University of Baltimore's Ampersand Institute for Words & Images will host a panel discussion, entitled "Is the World a Better or More Dangerous Place Because of Social Media?" This is the second event in the institute's "Impact of Technology" series, and will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the M. Scot Kaufman Auditorium in the William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center (home of the Merrick School of Business), 11 W. Mt. Royal Ave.
The event, free and open to the public, will feature Sean Carton, director of UB's Center for Digital Communication, Commerce, and Culture and professor of practice in the Merrick School of Business; Fred Guy, associate professor in UB's Division of Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies and director of the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics, and Alan Lyles, professor in UB's School of Public and International Affairs and School of Health and Human Services and senior research associate in the University's Schaefer Center for Public Policy.
Learn more about upcoming discussions in the Ampersand Institute's "Impact of Technology" series.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.