Hello everyone! I’m trying my hand at a new (to me) form of content delivery — AUDIO! [Full transcript below for those of you who prefer written over audio.]
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the format and the content! I’ll be sharing some my reasons for delving into audio in my written newsletter later this week.
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to the very first episode of digital hope talk. I’m Lauren hug and I thank you for listening and being willing to explore the upsides of our digital world. I believe there are so many good things about social media that they're worth talking about. So that's what we're going to do here!
About a year ago, I culled my home library, allowing myself to let go of copies of great books that I diligently studied and carried around with me — both physically and mentally — for years. Though, I've been an avid learner my whole life, it wasn't until I accessed the experiences and thoughts of myriad voices on social networks that I began to realize how many perspectives had been omitted from the ideas I was exposed to through my education and my everyday life.
Formal education has traditionally focused heavily on the humanities, because in the words of former Harvard University President Drew Faust, they enable us to see through a new lens; to look at the world through new eyes. Philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history, and language are all ways that we express our humanity and help us see past who we are and where we come from. Beyond the world we were born into, and beyond the world we encounter every day. They help us to appreciate the breadth of humanity. We come to understand, says Faust, that “the world has been different and could and will be different again.”
The problem with formal education and the traditional understanding of the humanities, is the eyes have been limited by a select few people who've had the power and influence to decide based on their own preferences, which stories are worthy of being shared, which ideas are worthy of spreading, and which cultures are worthy of being explored. Far too many voices have been overlooked, silenced, or deemed unimportant. Marilyn Robinson, in Which Way to the City on a Hill, says our heavily redacted history has meant the loss of many options. But digital media sweeps the doctors and gatekeepers aside, giving anyone with a computer or smartphone, the power to put their stories, ideas and creations in the hands of people all around the world.
“If there is a common experience of living today on the planet, it might best be characterized not by political or religious or social viewpoint, but by the simple act of creating for expressive purpose,” says David Edwards in Creating Things that Matter: The Art and Science of Innovations That Last. He continues: “For the first time ever, a significant swath of the general public is expressing itself in ways that endure.”
When I'm asked to explain why I'm so optimistic about our digital world, despite all the studies about how bad social media is, and the negative press regarding various social networks, time and again, I returned to the concept of seeing the world through different eyes. Many more eyes than we've ever had access to before. Anyone can share with the world wherever they are living, witnessing and thinking, and anyone with a computer or a smartphone can experience the world alongside them. I find this exciting, inspiring, and even thrilling.
I believe digital connections and the human flourishing they fuel are so much bigger than the downsides of specific social networks. Digital media gives us unprecedented ability to learn about and connect directly with our fellow human beings. Instead of seeing them through the lenses and perspectives of gatekeepers, editors, and tastemakers.
We intuitively make room for the experiences and perspectives of fellow humans we truly see. The more people we connect with, the more we share our fear, bias and prejudice, and the more we have at hand, to help us envision and co-create a world where everyone has a voice and is treated with dignity and respect.
I'm consciously making room for new stories and new ways of thinking to understand where my perspective has been limited and to find ways forward together that include and benefit all. That's why I'm launching Digital Hope Talk: to reflect, inspire and convene people interested in exploring new options for a more abundant, inclusive future — by seeing the world through new eyes. I hope you'll join me.
ILLUSTRATION: Performance artist and media personality ALOK on the representation of trans people by non-trans writers …
[Audio] New Eyes, Mean New Options