Waterloo hosts public lecture on the impact of digital dependencies
The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts will host a free public lecture and panel discussion, entitled Digital Dependencies: How we upload and offload ourselves on Monday, November 21
The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts will host a free public lecture and panel discussion, entitled Digital Dependencies: How we upload and offload ourselves on Monday, November 21.
The lecture explores the impacts and implications of social media, fitness apps and smartphone reliance on our everyday lives. Three experts along with Douglas Peers, Dean of Arts at Waterloo, will share insights and research on the perks and pitfalls of uploading and offloading ourselves.
Date: Monday, November 21, 2016 Time: 7 to 9 p.m. Location:Kitchener Public Library, Central Branch Auditorium, 85 Queen Street North Parking: Library pay parking next to the library
Panel participants include:
Aimée Morrison, Department of English Language and Literature, will talk about loneliness and social media. She will explore what it means to have “friends” online and how virtual friendships make us less social or serve a real need.
Jennifer Whitson, Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, will talk about the uses of surveillance devices like the Fitbit. She will discuss how these devices turn our bodies into playgrounds and doctors’ offices, and also share very personal data for a wide range of corporate and government interests.
Evan Risko, Department of Psychology, will talk about how our reliance on digital devices can result in cognitive offloading—letting the device think for us—and explore how these habits can change our ability to think.
There will be a moderated Q&A session with the speakers following their formal remarks.
