Human rights depend on qualified access to information – 12/07/2023 – Education

From wars fought on battlefields to manifestations of hatred and intolerance on the internet, there are many challenges that mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, celebrated next Sunday (10th).

The concepts of equality, fundamental freedoms and justice —pillars of the document promulgated in 1948 by the United Nations (UN)— have become more complex in recent decades, as social media platforms, messaging applications and other tools digital technologies emerged and became popular.

There is no doubt about the gains of this scenario: participation of more voices and perspectives in the public debate, expansion of channels to engage and mobilize society in favor of common causes and new forms of self-expression are some of the examples. But the side effects we have experienced are also undeniable, including the proliferation of misinformation and the distortion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (provided for in article 19 of the Universal Declaration), using it as an excuse for aggressive speeches and, in in some cases, criminals.

The mission of fighting human rights violations is collective and involves several fronts. Media education is one of them.

Media education and human rights meet by promoting equity in access to information, based on the understanding of technology as language and the internet as a territory conducive to critical and responsible participation by all. It also facilitates the appropriation of technologies to make informational environments more plural and open to the diversity of voices, themes and realities, enabling society to recognize and confront prejudices and stereotypes in the messages to which we are exposed daily.

It promotes a culture of peace and good coexistence by preparing us for the obstacles of the information environment, making us less vulnerable to fake news and misinformation, and more vigilant regarding violent and exclusionary rhetoric.

Furthermore, media education provides other reflections on the media scenario, problematizing not only the biases and interests present in specific messages, but also the invisible effects of new digital technologies which, aiming to offer increasingly personalized content and increase engagement, end up offering us slices of reality. This dynamic, provided by the action of algorithms, creates “bubbles” in which we essentially end up living with world views very similar to ours, having little or no exposure to different themes and points of view — a scenario conducive to intolerance, polarization and extremism.

The UN invites us to know, demand and defend human rights. “Where do human rights live? They live in each one of us”, highlights the organization in a video on the 75th anniversary of the Declaration. “Find the rights that resonate with you. Defend them.”

May media education help us respond to this cry, in search of more equity and social justice.

(To celebrate the date, EducaMídia launches a guide with “5 Contributions of Media Education to Human Rights”, proposing reflections and educational activities. The material is free.)