MAKING IT REAL

GENUINE HUMAN ENCOUNTER IN OUR DIGITAL WORLD

The Catholic Bishops of Australia have issued a statement on social media, calling on government, business and the broader community to be more proactive in defending the dignity of people and the solidarity of communities online.

The 2019–2020 Social Justice Statement, Making It Real: Genuine human encounter in our digital world, says that the digital world holds so many benefits in how we communicate, work, learn and do business that it is virtually impossible to imagine a world that isn’t online.

For all these advances, though, there are some serious challenges. The dignity of vulnerable people is harmed by online bullying and exploitation. The common good is compromised where groups are excluded from the benefits of technology. Privacy has been undermined where personal data has been appropriated for financial gain. The solidarity of communities is put at risk by campaigns of misinformation and the spread of “fake news”.

The Bishops call for action at all levels of society – by individual users, local communities and our political and tech industry leaders – to overcome the hatred, division and exploitation that occurs online and to make our digital world a place of genuine human encounter.

The statement can be read here and more information is available at this link.