Program Explores Social Media

March 8, 2023

The Prairie Museum of Art & History in Colby will host “The Promise and Pitfalls of Social Media,” a presentation and discussion by Stephen Wolgast on Thursday, March 16 at 12:00 PM.  Members of the community are invited to attend the free program; please RSVP at 785-460-4590 so we can be sure of enough food for all. The program, which was rescheduled from February due to weather,  is made possible by Humanities Kansas. 
Social media arrived with hope and promises. Facebook wants to connect the world, and Twitter’s mission is to let everybody share their ideas instantly. But even the best of ideas have unintended consequences. Social media platforms have become powerful vectors where disinformation can quickly spread. Is social media a boon for free speech, or the greatest threat to it? Do these tools increase the ways we engage with our communities, or separate us from them? This presentation explores both the good aspects and bad outcomes of social media and examines the role each of us plays online. 
Stephen Wolgast is the Knight Chair in Audience and Community Engagement for News and professor of the practice of journalism at the University of Kansas. 
This program is part of the Prairie Museum’s series on Communications Media and the changes they have undergone over time. The final program will be held on March 16, when Steve Haynes will discuss newspapers.