Draft Manifesto of the Symposium on "Digital Communication and Social Justice" in Arabic
Photo: Albin Hillert/ World Council of Churches
Following the international symposium "Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age", which was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and World Association for Christian Communication, along with a group of international organizations, the participants issued the draft of the symposium’s Manifesto. In an initiative to activate communication and build bridges, the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department translated the draft of the Manifesto into Arabic. The draft presents an overview of the general digital situation and many recommendations to promote equitable communication in the digital space.
The draft also provides a serious opportunity for research and to compare between the participating societies and the Middle Eastern societies, especially the Arabic-speaking ones. As well as, an opportunity to submit research papers and special recommendations that reflect the reality of digital justice in the Arab world.
Click here to read the Arabic version or read the English one in the following.
Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age
13−15 September 2021
Manifesto (Draft)
Our Global Context
Digital technologies are transforming our world and the multiple spaces in which we live and move.
These technologies offer us new ways to communicate, to advocate for our human rights and dignity, and for our voices to be heard.
They create new ways for us to interact with each other beyond boundaries of time and space.
They can be powerful tools for living in relation with others, for inclusion, education, encounter, imagination, creativity, and understanding.
Yet, digital technologies provide both opportunities and challenges.
Digital platforms are also being used to spread deliberate disinformation and hate.
Politically motivated digital campaigns of "fake news" undermine democratic processes and responsible journalism.
While digital platforms seem to provide unfettered opportunities for freedom of expression, growing digital technology monopolies threaten a diversity of voices and perspectives.
Communication is increasingly mediated by proprietary platforms that promise a dream of democratized empowerment but monetize data and time in the so-called "attention economy". Users have become the new commodity.
Private data is increasingly requested, collected, and controlled by a small number of platforms to take advantage of people for economic and political purposes.
Surveillance, marginalization, and militarization are significant threats in digital spaces.
Algorithms developed according to subjective criteria‑‑the lingering effect of colonialism and systemic power imbalances‑‑reflect and exacerbate existing inequities and discrimination.
The COVID-19 pandemic also amplifies inequities ‑those who are digitally excluded become increasingly marginalized due to a shift to online learning and economies. Cybersecurity concerns are increased, particularly in healthcare.
Theological perspectives
This transformation of society raises profound issues with which the ecumenical fellowship has been wrestling for many decades: power, justice, equity, participation, promoting sustainable communities, how voices from the margins are heard, as well as human dignity.
In seeking to respond to the issues raised by digital transformation, we can find in many faith traditions an incredible depth of insight about what it means to be human and to live justly within the web of creation.
Two intrinsically connected aspects must play a central role in a theological reflection on digital justice: relationality and vulnerability.
Christians believe that being created in the image of God provides inherent dignity to every woman, man, and child (Gen 1:27.) Humans are created to be relational and capable of collaboration and communication. We are called to take responsibility and care for God's creation.
In Jesus, God became vulnerable and shared human life. Therefore, creation and human beings remain at the centre of our reflections and our concerns. This shared vulnerability motivates us to protect individual and community rights and to use digital technologies for the wellbeing of human beings. The biblical preferential option for the poor and vulnerable directs and informs our attention to the digital divides in the global face of digitization (Matt 5.)
We are called to a journey of justice and peace, and to ensure the integrity of creation.
We are called to participate in God's mission to ensure that all may have life and have it abundantly, also (we dare to say) in the digital sphere (John 10:10.)
In 2022, the ecumenical fellowship will gather in Karlsruhe, Germany, for the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, in a world marred by many kinds of injustice and by the pain of many of its people, its creatures, and even of the Earth itself.
But it is also a world that is witnessing movements of change, justice, and hope.
Issues and challenges
Digitalization in its many forms raises new questions about human freedom and identity. Not only social coherence but human dignity itself is at stake.
Digitalization also raises ecological concerns.
Political, cultural, civil society actors, and communities of faith are all struggling to respond effectively.
To respond to challenges and opportunities of the digital age, we need an inclusive and holistic participatory approach that is both international and intergenerational, based on the sacred value of social justice.
This prompts us to ask: How can we envision and work for a communication and information ecosystem based on social justice principles such as participation, freedom, equity, sustainable life and solidarity, that
enables everyone to exercise fully their human rights, civil rights, and responsibilities
strengthens a sense of belonging and collective participation
encourages alliances and coalitions that build credibility, mutual accountability, and trust
is sensitive to missing, ignored, silenced, and marginalized voices in the digital sphere
combats both explicit and implicit bias, racism, gender discrimination, and extremism in digital technologies
is not profit- or power-oriented, yet remain attractive to users
encourages platforms that promote community, cohesion, collaboration, and relationship building
leverages Open-Source technologies in a digital economy
We identified the following specific challenges:
The Digital Divides: We face various digital divides: economic, geographic, racial, educational, gender, age, technological, and global. There are also digitally caused divides.
These digital divides point to both the complexity of social justice in a digital age and the need for intersectional reflection. Digital justice requires at the same time gender justice, climate justice, economic justice, racial justice, and so much more.
Accessibility: The primary concern is often seen as access to the digital space itself, emphasizing the difference between lower, middle, and higher income economies, but also in-country differences. Accessibility includes access to basic communication infrastructure such as stable electricity and internet connections, tech devices, access to various digital tools, data, programming and content from the local cultural context but also the legal frameworks and economic resources to access and invest in them.
Access affects power relations and distributions of resources, and as such, access to digital technologies is both a cause and a result of divides.
Accessibility is an essential issue in the disabled community. Digitalization has improved participation in economic activity, entertainment, and social interaction for people with disabilities. Accessibility in this sphere, however, also remains divided along global wealth lines.
Public space: This is the space where states, citizens and non-citizens interact, where people, including the media, can express thoughts and feelings and participate toward democracy. Digitalization creates the opportunity for expanding this space, but the restriction of digital freedom can also cause this space to shrink.
Inequity: Control, use, and analysis of data gathered due to digitalization is heavily vested in a few corporations and in specific geographic regions. Governments may also be heavily implicated in data control and manipulation.
Education: Digital education, including in questioning and critical examination of information and sources, is vital for all people. Access to this education is often sharply divided based on age, academic background, gender, geographical location and societal gender roles.
Gender justice: Women benefit from digitalization in the personal, educational, and economic arena, and active participation in the digital space can contribute to full participation in all domains of life. However, pervasive gender power inequalities restrict this access.
Increased digitalization has also led to greater exposure of girls and women to sexualized harassment, surveillance, trolling, and online hate, which may also lead to physical violence. The impact of online violence is silencing women, forcing them to disengage from the digital space.
Privacy and security: The universal challenges of the use of data and loss of privacy are compounded by arbitrary government control, national digital laws and guidelines that are vague and fraught with loopholes, internet blackouts that clamp down on online dissent, and unwarranted state surveillance.
Militarization: There is military investment in digital technologies, and the technologies are in turn militarized – creating increasing risk in situations of conflict.
Principles to promote communication for social justice in a digital age
No matter the issue – violence against women, poverty, conflict resolution, self-determination, racism, migration, health, land, climate – little can be done without effective communication.
For this, we need a holistic, inclusive approach to create digital technologies that promote life, dignity, and justice rather than undermine it.
We need principles that allow all people to engage in transparent, informed, and democratic debate, where people have unfettered access to the information and knowledge essential to peaceful coexistence, empowerment, responsible civic engagement, and mutual accountability.
Rooted in the history of communication rights, these principles provide for a world in which:
Everyone is entitled to communicate, to inform, and to share knowledge. This requires equitable access to communication infrastructures and the right to free expression.
Everyone is entitled to participate in the information and communication society with particular consideration for minorities and vulnerable groups. This requires inclusive and participatory governance of media infrastructures and digital platforms.
Everyone is entitled to fair and unbiased public communication. This requires ethical norms, accountability, and redress for misrepresentation.
Everyone is entitled to dignity and respect. This requires transparency and accountability of media and digital platforms.
Everyone is entitled to privacy and control of their information, including deleting their data. This should be inherent and intrinsic to each person's digital identity and requires legal frameworks and knowledge.
Everyone is entitled to their own cultural and linguistic identity. This requires linguistic diversity and access to local media.
Everyone is entitled to communication skills and media literacy. This requires adequate training and building the skills of dialogue, conversation, listening, openness, critical thinking.
Everyone should be allowed to participate as much as they are willing to without being pressured to participate more than they feel comfortable.
Everyone has access to sustainable power sources to enable their digital or electronic media. This requires access to technologies such as solar or wind power.
Everyone is entitled to affordable devices. This requires economic resources as well as the right to repair.
A transformative movement
To achieve digital justice, we need a transformative movement of individuals, communities, educational institutions, media agencies, and civil society – including communities of faith − and we need government policies and actions that are informed and supported by civil society, founded on human rights, human dignity, and democratic principles.
Fundamental rights will not prevail on their own or through voluntary commitments by corporations. That is why the broad support and joint commitment of (civil) society, including churches and faith communities, political actors, science, and business is needed to guarantee and protect civil rights in the digital age as well as to make the digital space usable for the common good.
We gathered in the symposium on "Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age" to explore these issues − to reflect and to share visions of a future in which technologies are placed at the service of people rather than governments or corporations.
We underlined the need for shared principles of inclusion, respect, and equity.
We pointed to the vital importance of communication rights for marginalized peoples and communities worldwide.
We affirmed that rights in digital spaces must be an extension of human rights in public spaces.
We rejected any justification of online violence through misuse of the gospel.
We agreed on the centrality of the rights of children, and that young people need be embraced and offered a place of leadership in our digital transformation.
We emphasized that collected (non-personal) data should be available to serve the common good.
We underlined the need for increased accountability and transparency on the part of corporations who have the power and ability to influence and shape public and political discourse.
We highlighted the dangers of the darknet for illegal and harmful activities such as organ trafficking, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, weapon and drugs sales, and even recruitment to extremist organizations. We reject such dangers.
To unlock the opportunities and address the challenges of digital technologies we need to re-imagine continuously our digital public sphere, emphasizing democracy, fundamental rights, mutual accountability, and solidarity.
We will create spaces and channels that are inclusive, interactive, and participatory, promoting digital justice, expanding public space, and creating visions for the future
We will create a grassroots, faith-inspired resistance to the forces challenging human dignity and flourishing in digital spaces.
We will develop a programme of action to create this re-imagined reality in different contexts.
We will continue to act together, so that
justice roll(s) down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
(Amos 5:24)
Manifesto Source: World Council of Churches