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This module introduces educators and learners to the role that new institutions and converging technologies are playing in the widening participation of citizens in social, economic, and political change. It explains how new digital and electronic forms of media (online news, blogs, Wikipedia, YouTube, social networking applications, video gaming, etc.) have evolved from traditional media and how they are enabling greater access to information and knowledge, sustainable development, freedom of expression, good governance and participation in democratic processes.

The co-existence of print media, broadcast media (radio and television), the Internet, mobile phones and social media, is also allowing content to flow across various platforms, widening access to information and creating a participatory culture where citizens not only consume information in a passive manner, but actively participate in its modification, production and distribution. Terms such as ‘prosumers’ have been coined. New information and communication technologies (ICTs), for example, have opened opportunities for greater audience participation in information and knowledge sharing, and are encouraging people to actively engage in social and sustainable development. The big debate is whether such positives can be enhanced, and the negatives effectively reduced.

In this regard, Media and Information Literacy (MIL) also considers games in different forms, as well as the potential opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and other frontier technologies. 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ advanced international dialogue around the strong link between MIL and games through the first International Conference on Media and Information Literacy and Games in the Digital World and by developing related resources. It is necessary to acknowledge that most ICT game-based learning is not happening in controlled learning spaces. Very often, people engage with games independently online and through digital mobile devices. In such environments, game design and the amount of time spent playing games can promote addiction. There are also concerns about games reinforcing hatred, violence, and aggression, rather than dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and tolerance. Stereotypical representations of women and men of all ages or certain races, culture, or group of people are also reinforced in some games. Women are often portrayed as sexualized, skimpily dressed in some games. Men are shown as strong and violent. Black people and  other  races  are  underrepresented  in  games.  Pew Research Center carried out research in 2015, which showed that, in its sample (not globally representative, however), 35% of blacks, 36% of Hispanics, and 24% of whites are of the opinion that minority groups are portrayed poorly in video  games.  These  types  of  representations  can  affect girls’ and boys’ perception of gender roles and their ethnic identity. MIL can help people, in particular youth, to protect their minds and to identify these types of stereotypes as well as gender blindness in games and all forms of digital technologies. A further issue is the extent to which digital games privilege competition above cooperation in teams, and who collects and uses the data of the players and how this is being used. Are the data used to mainly improve the game, or do they primarily function as a separate marketable commodity that is sold to third parties or used to sell micro-targeted advertising opportunities?

The module will commence with a journey from traditional media to new media technologies. Educators and learners are introduced to change and continuity within different types of media over a set period. It will also engage with similarities and differences, allowing learners to gauge core requirements for basic understanding but also to see the innovative potential captured within both old and new media.

Not only is the module looking at spatio-temporal change, but it will also consider different types of uses of media, digital technologies and tools within society. These can include formal communication, personal communication, marketing, learning and civic engagement. Interactive media tools and games provide interesting opportunities to engage in learning and also in public discourse – the possibilities are endless. The educators and learners are guided in this module to navigate the spaces between old media, new media and games as a medium to facilitate learning. People can enhance their learning experiences through games if they possess the skills to reflect critically on their gaming experiences. MIL, together with social and emotional literacy, are all relevant. The UNESCO Mahatma Ghandi Institute on Education for Peace and Sustainable Development provides resources on social and emotional learning.

An important development with the growth of digital media has been the move from a traditional communication model of ‘one to many’, characteristic of print and broadcast media, to a ‘peer to peer’ model that facilitates collaborative creation and sharing of content. As content is digitized, it becomes accessible from a multitude of devices, including radio, television, and personal computer and, perhaps most importantly, the mobile phone, which is emerging as the dominant platform for delivering content of all kinds. The digitalization of voice, image, sound and data – known as convergence – is creating new opportunities for interaction.