Can New Technology Promote Dialogue?

In this article, Denise Gray-Felder expresses concern for the increasing perception that technology is no longer inanimate, but now has human-like qualities. She speculates that this increases the ability of technology to influence values and adversely affect social mores. She states that "[t]echnology now is infused with the ability 'to speak....' As a society, we are apparently ready to concede what many have feared for more than a decade: That entertainment technology has power beyond our control. Power to nurture or reinforce normative social behaviours. Power to tell us what to think and do. Power to shift how neighbours interact with neighbours or mothers care for and protect their children.”


Gray-Felder believes that the importance to professional communicators is that "[we] must extend our knowledge to include arenas that had been off limits, or at least of limited interest to communication for development practitioners previously: gaming, social networking, personal blogging, or text messaging, for example. If such technology is now interactive - moving into the realm of dialogue and debates - then why aren’t we using it more often to do good?"


Gray-Felder suggests that technology can: speak on the tough issues facing societies, for example, HIV/AIDS stigma or violence against women; help discover why people hold cultural beliefs and continue behaviour patterns; and reach young people. "When we need to influence or just understand why people within a defined community do what they do, can technology be used to catalyse public and private dialogue?"


Gray-Felder envisions a "communication reality in which personal dialogue continues to be the primary way of reinforcing community values and social norms... [b]ut a reality in which such dialogue can occur face-to-face or device-to-device, or via Facebook, YouTube or Skype." However, she recognises the importance of non-technological, literal human communication and how the sub-planting of storytelling by film and television, "creates an unacceptable cultural environment in which a society’s stories are managed by its film and television producers instead of by its elders. This leads to homogenisation of cultures, ethics and desires - negatively impacting the survival of indigenous cultures, languages, customs and artefacts." Gray-Felder questions whether technology allows children to "grow up believing that the values and systems around them are somehow inferior to those of a culture thousands of miles away?" She concludes that there is now "unprecedented opportunities - and unprecedented responsibility - to use communication technology to dialogue with people for the good of the world."