Mapping Technologies for Peace and Conflict: From the Weaponization of Social Media to Digital Peacebuilding and Peacetech

This presentation will provide a survey of the best and worst impacts of technology on peace building. Beginning with an overview of how social media platforms’ profit models and designs amplify hate and undermine democracy, this lecture will explore social media’s impact in a dozen countries in the Global South that offer an insight into the devastating effects of technology.

The presentation will then move on to map how technologies assist in eight peace building functions, from conflict analysis to building social movements to conducting mediations and building inclusive peace processes.

The presentation is based on Lisa Schirch’s recent edited book, Social Media Impacts on Conflict and Democracy: The Techtonic Shift and her forthcoming book, Digital Peacebuilding and Peacetech, and was given onTuesday, February 1, 2022.

Speaker:
Lisa Schirch, Incoming Richard G. Starmann, Sr. Professor of the Practice in Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

For more information visit the event website.