Ethan Zuckerman: “Digital Cosmopolitanism and Cognitive Diversity”

New media technologies have sharply increased the number of people who are able to create and disseminate content. But they may not be leading to a more diverse media environment, as tools that allow us to tailor what content we see and what we ignore are becoming more powerful and more personal. The framework of cosmopolitanism suggests a way through this challenge – by examining perspectives we are exposed to and insulated from, we may be able to design tools and approaches that help readers increase their cognitive diversity and prepare themselves to tackle transnational challenges.

Ethan Zuckerman is the Director of the MIT Center for Civic Media.

Moderated by Associate Professor Ian Condry.