Despite the rapid growth of social and new media, information bubbles have become even denser. A socialist lives in a fundamentally different information environment than a neoconservative or a liberal. Moreover, fragmentation and polarization go much further than the ideologies of the 20th century. The participants of the special session of the Valdai Discussion Club expert dialogue in partnership with Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University discussed if dialogue between civilizations is possible in such conditions, whether modern media can build bridges between civilizations, and what the role of humans will be in building such bridges.
Modern media is undergoing a qualitative and quantitative transformation. The volume of information has increased dramatically: today, humanity produces more information in a few months than in the entire history of media. There has been a fragmentation of target audiences, as modern algorithms allow for tailoring content to meet consumer needs and preferences. Artificial intelligence technologies have entered the information landscape. Content itself has become a foundation for AI training, which in turn generates new content, including false and misleading information.
The schedule of open sessions and details about the expert dialogue can be found in the Programme.