The Making a New Reality project, which Dot Connector is producing in collaboration with Kamal Sinclair, published a sixth issue that addresses the absence of boundaries in emerging media and technology. Media makers and consumers are left increasingly vulnerable to exploitation by bad actors pursuing unethical or illegal objectives.

In supplemental articles Sinclair discusses:

• the dynamics at play when minorities are in majority spaces,
• how to consider the tensions surrounding cybersecurity and infringement of privacy in an age when everyone’s data is collected, manipulated and sold,
• the role of cyberbullying and its influence on the diminishment of safe spaces in the emerging media environment. “Our policies do not hold social media sites to the same standard that they hold TV, and there is no national subsidy for digital public media.” She explains, “Therefore the representation of “decent” or higher-grade educational content produced for emerging media platforms is hit-or-miss.”
• the lack of ethical design standards. “There are palpable fears among underrepresented groups that behaviors that create unsafe spaces will be exponentially worse in emerging media, especially with the potential for real-life PTSD from virtual harassment and violence.”

Sinclair’s project is supported by the Ford Foundation’s Just Films program, with additional support from the Sundance Institute. Each month Immerse publishes the lead article from the series. Here’s a how-to-guide on way to get involved in the discussion.