Media Literacy and Global Citizenship

Roman teaching at the 2011 Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change. Photo by Andrea López-Portillo

In March 2012 I was interviewed by the Salzburg Academy’s Andrea López-Portillo on media literacy, youth engagement and global citizenship. The full interview is available here.

“In a highly customized and segmented online environment characterized by information overload and compassion fatigue, it is extremely important to find new ways of engaging audiences.”

“I don’t accept the theory that puts all the blame on the system – the information is out there if you are motivated and able to find out, and there are millions of ways in which we can make a difference at every level. It doesn’t have to be about changing the world, it could just be about changing our street – that’s how it starts. So, while government, media and other institutions should facilitate awareness and participation, it is ultimately the citizens’ responsibility to take ownership of their communities and lives.”

“I think there is a fundamental problem in our current relationship to government – viewing it as an outside or superior factor – as “the other”. We have to think of the political system as something that we have a stake in, and no one can take this away.”

“One of the most important functions of the media is to educate us and enable us to come across voices and opinions that we wouldn’t normally encounter – perspectives that challenge us and take us out of our comfort zone.”

The 2012 Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change addressed the themes of community, identity and listening. Photo by Rob Fish.