Digital Media: the hero or anti-hero of our society?

Hey there! Welcome to my week’s blog about digital media. In today’s post, I want to spread light on the role that the media plays in a society divided into two different ideas of thoughts. Even if we live in a world that recognizes the media’s role and power, many still consider it an enemy, something that, from a long-term perspective, might become too powerful, and therefore, ruin our world. Personally, I believe the two ideas of thought not to have particular ‘characteristics’ or rules to follow, but just two ways of thinking that relate to a certain lifestyle. As you already know, digital media are a very useful tool, which can help the world to grow better and to acquire a certain knowledge that might change the future. I think that especially nowadays, with all these sanitary and environmental emergencies, the media should exploit all its power and importance to help humans and the world, however, this is not the case most of the time.

The division

As previously mentioned, everyone’s aware of the media’s role in society, with both positive and negative connotations. Indeed, while some believe the media to be of extreme importance, others consider it a shame, a weapon against our own life. I am not going to list the pros and cons of digital media but many aspects highlight its positivity, for instance, the one I believe to be one of the greatest, is its capacity to let people communicate all over the world, spreading pieces of information and knowledge to anyone out there. At the same time, other factors underline the media’s danger. Take for example cyberbullying, and, more generally, online violence.

The question

I’m always asking myself which ‘party’ I feel more comfortable with, but I reckon that the choice is really difficult and intense. A few days ago I read an article that really touched me. It was about my old high school ‘Liceo Malpighi’, back to my hometown, Bologna, in Italy. Long story short, Elena Ugolini, the principal of the high school, has decided to start the academic year with a new rule: banning cell phones from students and teachers during the scholastic day, which means that from 8 am to 2 pm, alumni and professor must not use their phones for any reason. Even if the rule was already adopted in academic institutions before, allowing the use of cellphones only during breaks, Ugolini chose a different version. Immediately, I asked myself if that was right and if not, what could have been the error in that choice. However, I really couldn’t explain how annoyed I was by the fact. Why would you want to private your students of such an object? Especially after such dramatic years, where the media became one of our closest friends? So my point here is to question whether the media is really as appreciated as we think or if it is indeed a dangerous tool, something we should avoid and keep out of our life.

https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/marketing/marketing_article.jsp?articleId=1593

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/hate-speech-social-media-global-comparisons

https://tg24.sky.it/cronaca/2022/09/15/divieto-cellulare-liceo-malpighi-bologna