Charles Ess in HUMlab

Seminar in HUMlab November 3rd 1:15pm (CET)
Professor Charles Ess
Ess is a distinguished researcher and pioneer in internet studies. Recent
publications include Digital Media Ethics (Polity Press, 2009). See for
http://www.drury.edu/ess/about.html and http://www.drury.edu/ess/ for more
information.


HUMlab. Date/time: Nov 3, 1.15 pm. The seminar is open to everyone.

Trust and Democracy Online?

Trust is an essential requirement in human existence generally and specifically in our social and political engagements with one another.

At the same time, however, our lives - including our political lives - increasingly take place in online environments that raise notorious difficulties for establishing and maintaining trust. In response to my title question, I will review some representative characterizations of trust, followed by three major obstacles to trust and democracy in online settings. I conclude with some reasons for optimism that trust - but perhaps not democracy - can be fostered and sustained online.

The seminar will also be streamed live on http://live.humlab.umu.se/ (link opens at time of seminar) and archived on http://stream.humlab.umu.se/.