Technology is here to stay. The world is already on the verge of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, in which Artificial Intelligence, automation and robotization will continue to be protagonists. All these advances would not be possible without human beings and that is why it is so important to rescue values and ethics as fundamental pillars for building a better society.
Precisely this is the basis of digital humanism, which, as specified by the rector of the University Foundation of the Andean AreaJosé Leonardo Valencia, “seeks to humanize all digital and technological processes in such a way that the protagonist is the human being, because we are dehumanizing ourselves.”
Today information flows in a different way, at an accelerated pace, and any step taken in technological matters has impacts on society. “Today, boys and new generations look for answers and get them immediately. In the case of previous generations, reaching an answer took a long time, and that is why the dynamics of young people are different. Although technology makes life easier, we must not lose perspective and fall into the negative aspects,” reflected the rector.
The Andean Area University Foundation has been working on the issue and has found a great ally in the country of Austria, a champion of digital humanism. “It is the only country in the world that in the European Economic Union, in Brussels (Belgium), has an ambassador speaking about the digital humanismsocializing everything that must be rescued from the human side to build strong foundations from ethics.” Valencia recalled the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, who said: “man and humanity can be lost at some point. If humanity does not exist, humanity does not exist.”
The challenge is great and educational institutions are aware of it. “Education, in general, is working on the issue. But it is not exclusive to universities, but must be faced from the initial education of children. The human factor and socio-humanistic matters are going to have a fundamental component. Today, for example, We are not just talking about training a good engineer, but they must also be an excellent human being.“, accurate.
To achieve this goal, it is also important to teach teachers to learn and unlearn so that in the classrooms they can enhance students’ abilities, working on solidarity, responsibility, assertive communication, positivism and happiness.
Digital Humanism Observatory
These new trends motivated the creation of the Digital Humanism Observatory of the Andean Area University Foundation, an initiative that was precisely born in conjunction with Austria. “We have been investigating and evaluating human behaviors in the face of technology. We see that there are boys who do not leave their homes and that these children stop socializing, co-creating and working empathetically with others because they are connected to a screen. With this Observatory we seek to measure what is happening through data, evaluate the behaviors that are associated with technological issues and understand that we are all different and that from these differences we can build on what is human in the classrooms,” Valencia explained. .
One of the most important findings has to do with social networks, as they directly interfere with the mental health and happiness of young people.“by having as references people who distort reality.” Likewise, the Observatory’s determined study on the new social gap called “Digital Divide” includes multiple aspects of the appropriation of technologies, such as people’s digital capabilities, the values that are associated with their use and the factors that influence for appropriation. It is also related to groups that do not use technology even if access conditions exist. In this sense, a conscious and qualified use of technology makes a difference in terms of digital exclusion and citizen participation.
Valencia concluded that education faces an enormous challenge where the focus must be on humanity, ethics and values. “Universities are the right space to enhance skills and build solid foundations for the future, but also to work to provide society with good human beings.”
