Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age

The document is a manifesto resulting from a 2021 symposium organized by the World Council of Churches and the World Association for Christian Communication. It argues that while digital technologies offer opportunities for inclusion and advocacy, they are currently marred by monopolies, surveillance, and systemic biases that exacerbate existing social inequities. The text calls for a transformative movement to establish a communication ecosystem based on social justice, emphasizing the need for equitable access, data privacy, and the protection of marginalized voices. It specifically highlights the intersection of digital justice with gender, climate, and racial justice, and advocates for the 'Right to Repair' and sustainable power sources to enable digital access.

• Digital technologies are characterized by a duality where they enable human rights advocacy and inclusion, yet are simultaneously used to spread disinformation, hate, and undermine democratic processes through 'fake news' campaigns.
• The 'attention economy' is driven by proprietary platforms and digital monopolies that monetize user data and time, leading to increased surveillance, militarization, and the reinforcement of systemic racism and colonization through biased algorithms.
• Digital divides are multifaceted—spanning economic, geographic, racial, educational, class, gender, age, cultural, and technological dimensions—and require an intersectional approach that links digital justice to climate, gender, racial, and economic justice.
• Gender-specific challenges in the digital age include pervasive power inequities and the exposure of women and girls to online hate, trolling, and sexualized harassment, which often results in the silencing of women and can lead to physical violence.
• The document proposes a set of communication rights to ensure dignity and equity, including the right to privacy, the right to cultural and linguistic identity, the 'Right to Repair' for affordable devices, and access to sustainable power sources like wind or solar.
• The manifesto calls for a transformative movement involving faith communities, civil society, and governments to ensure that digital spaces serve the common good rather than just corporate or state interests, specifically rejecting the use of the gospel to justify online violence.

APA

Rowley, S. (2022). Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age. World Association for Christian Communication. https://waccglobal.org/communication-for-social-justice-in-a-digital-age/

Chicago

Rowley, Saskia. Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age. World Association for Christian Communication, 2022. https://waccglobal.org/communication-for-social-justice-in-a-digital-age/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Rowley |first1=Saskia |title=Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |date=14 February 2022 |url=https://waccglobal.org/communication-for-social-justice-in-a-digital-age/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{rowley2022communication, author = {Rowley, Saskia}, title = {{Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age}}, publisher = {World Association for Christian Communication}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://waccglobal.org/communication-for-social-justice-in-a-digital-age/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }