Queensland Future Conversations
Social Media and Human Behaviour – Challenges and Opportunities for an Evolving Digital World
Wednesday 20th March 2024
Speakers' Hall, Queensland Parliament House, Brisbane.
The first Queensland Future Conversations event of 2024 focused on the topic “Social Media and Human Behaviour – Challenges and Opportunities for an Evolving Digital World”. Queensland has exceptional researchers who focus on the ever-changing world of digital communication and its impacts on our day-to-day lives and trust in key private and public institutions.
This briefing session brought together leading experts from higher education institutions on the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), social marketing, automation, misinformation campaigns and digital media in fostering cultural change.
Proceedings were MC’d by Ms Shannon Willoughby, Executive Director of Strategic Government and Industry Partnerships at The University of Queensland (UQ). The briefing was opened by The Honourable Curtis Pitt MP, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Professor Daniel Angus, Director of the Digital Media Research Centre and Professor in Digital Communication at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) delivered a presentation on "AI in Society, Digital Media and the Digital Gap", describing the challenges and opportunities faced by each subject area. The three key takeaways were: 1) technical disruption is social disruption – it necessitates a humanities and social scientific approach, 2) we all have a role to play in safeguarding and improving the quality of democracy and our shared digital culture, and 3) we need to close the gaps in our society to ensure we’re prepared to take advantage of opportunities presented by new technologies.
Above: Professor Daniel Angus (Director Digital Media Research Centre and Professor in Digital Communication, QUT)
Ms Willoughby then chaired a panel of experts for a thought-provoking Q&A discussion on the use of social media in society. Professor Angus was joined by Dr Susan Grantham, Lecturer in Communication and Work Integrated Learning Coordinator at Griffith University, and Associate Professor Nicholas Carah, Director of Digital Cultures and Societies in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at UQ.
Questions raised and topics discussed included the challenges and opportunities that social media brings to the implementation of public policy and the concept of ‘authentic engagement’ on social media by influential community members. There was lengthy discussion on how government and researchers can support vulnerable members of society to navigate a rapidly changing digital world, and how it can be leveraged to help them.
Above, left to right: Professor Daniel Angus (Director Digital Media Research Centre and Professor in Digital Communication, QUT), Professor Deborah Terry AC (Vice-Chancellor and President, UQ), Professor Margaret Sheil AO (Vice-Chancellor and President, QUT), Professor Carolyn Evans (Vice-Chancellor and President, Griffith University), Associate Professor Nicholas Carah (Director Digital Cultures and Societies, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, UQ) and Dr Susan Grantham (Lecturer in Comunication and Work Integrated Learning Coordinator, Griffith University)
RESEARCHER BIOGRAPHIES
RESEARCHER PRESENTATIONS
The Queensland Future Conversations is brought to you by:
