New Media, ICT and its role in the environment
In today’s world, it is baseless to ask if you have a facebook/twitter account or not, or if you blog. Whether it is just to maintain liaisons in the external world, to have a wider scope of network, to create an one’s identity, or to express opinions, interests, feelings, emotions, sentiments, or share knowledge anyone and everyone is the part of the new social media fad. It has its own negative implications making communication transparent, but it helps tremendously making communication easy and rapid. The earth seems to be shrinking with globalization and the new trend of social media. But what can be its implications on the environment and sustainable development? It is not only crucial to our understandings about the environment and makes us environmentally conscious, but also gives the power to individuals/masses to select which environmental issues to present and decide who gets to speak about those issues. The new media has the challenge of presenting the science, politics, and everyday ramifications of environmental change.
It is a known fact that common man is the most effective agent of change, and what better way to facilitate this change if not the media, media power presupposes the privileged access to information and resources and is categorized as persuasive but with the new media the individuals get the opportunity to voice their opinions, to get their message across and for others to counter/concede with their opinions, leading to deliberations, analysis and derivation of results, so it turns out to be more educative than persuasive. The pre-requisite of sustainable and ethical development is that there is effective usage of communication mediums in order to reach to planning and execution of activities that can lead to the growth and development comprising optimum utilization of natural resources without having any ill-effects on the environment. Once the civil society is familiar with the complex environmental and development related issues, it will gain the confidence to act appropriately leading towards sustainability. Communication technology tools help in environmental education by integration of the multidisciplinary process that focuses on critical analysis of environmental issues by gathering, organizing, and interpreting information to draw conclusions, make inferences and incorporate it in our work and activities.
So what is your take, how effectively do you think the new media and communication technology can be used for creating an ethical and sustainable world? It’s time to opine and stand for what you feel can make the difference.
P.s: You can also become a part of this discussion in the workshop on Information and communication technology and its role in environment, from 1st-3rd November, at CEE, Ahmedabad.