Kent State University’sCollege of Communication and Information and WKSU hosted "The Future of (Un)Civil Discourse," a community event today to discuss how social media, technology, pop culture and politics are changing the form, functions and very nature of civil discourse in the United States.
A 2016 survey on civility in America found that 70 percent of respondents believed that incivility in America has risen to "crisis levels." What new media and cultural platforms will shape the way we receive and believe ideas and information? What is the future of civil discourse in America? Are we fated to consume information in self-selected, isolated communities of interest? Can civility be saved (and at what expense)?
Amy Reynolds, dean of Kent State's College of Communication and Information, moderated the discussion with panelists including WKSU's M.L. Schultze; Kendra Albright, director, School of Information; Christopher Darling, assistant professor, School of Visual Communication Design;Rekha Sharma, assistant professor, School of Communications Studies; Wendy Wardell, lecturer, School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
