Envisioning the Information Ecosystem of the Future
Explore additional insights from our comprehensive conference coverage of the 2024 Skoll World Forum.
What should the structures and entities that enable the creation, dissemination, and consumption of information look like? The #SkollWF session SoapBox for the Future of the Information Ecosystem brought together a diverse group of experts to discuss how to create a robust, pluralistic, and decolonized ecosystem for news, media, and narratives.
Speakers included J. Bob Alotta (Mozilla), Andrea Ixchíu (Hackeo Cultural), Judy Kibinge (Docubox), Nishant Lalwani (International Fund for Public Interest Media), and Stephanie Valencia (Equis), with the session curated in partnership with DocSociety, represented by Beadie Finzi and Megha Agrawal Sood.
Session Overview
Panelists presented their visions of the future in 2035, imagining new platforms, power shifting to citizens, and media centered on public interest.
Key themes discussed included the commodification of trust, shifting power dynamics, elevating collective wisdom, and decolonizing media and narratives. Speakers emphasized the need for increased funding for independent journalism, regulating big tech, and community-owned media platforms. They also stressed the importance of empowering storytellers and enabling philanthropic capital to take bold risks in supporting innovative projects.
Key Topics
Envisioning a Future Information Ecosystem
- Decentralized, open-source information ecosystems controlled by citizens through algorithms calibrated to historical and scientific facts were discussed.
Decolonizing Media and Narratives
- The importance of decolonizing dreams, desires, and narratives through ancestral knowledge and indigenous resistance was emphasized.
- Speakers called for an end to Western monoculture and the empowerment of diverse languages and narratives.
Shifting Power Dynamics and Trust
- The commodification of trust and the need to rethink where trust is placed in the information ecosystem were central themes.
- Speakers stressed the importance of shifting power dynamics, elevating collective wisdom, and enabling community-owned media platforms.
Funding and Support for Independent Media
- The need for increased funding for independent journalism, particularly in low and middle-income countries, was highlighted.
- Speakers called for a more collaborative and decolonized approach to philanthropic funding, emphasizing the importance of empowering communities to shape their own narratives.
Regulatory and Systemic Changes
- Regulating big tech and addressing coordinated attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the media ecosystem were identified as crucial steps.
- The session emphasized the need for collective action and systemic changes to create the desired information ecosystem.
Call to Action
The session concluded with a call to continue the discussion and take collective action to create the desired information ecosystem, emphasizing the need for a more collaborative and decolonized approach to philanthropic funding and the importance of empowering communities to shape their own narratives.
Featured Speakers
- J. Bob Alotta, Senior Vice President, Global Programs, Mozilla
- Andrea Ixchíu, Coordinator, Hackeo Cultural
- Judy Kibinge, Founder, Creative & Executive Director, Docubox — The East African Documentary Film Fund
- Nishant Lalwani, CEO, International Fund for Public Interest Media
- Stephanie Valencia, Co-Founder & President, Equis
- Beadie Finzi, Co-Founder & Co-Director, Doc Society
- Megha Agrawal Sood, Co-Director, Doc Society
Learn More
Watch this session in its entirety and explore additional #SkollWF 2024 sessions on the organization’s YouTube channel.
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