Date/Time
Date(s) - 14/03/2025
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Join us for our final lecture in a series of public lectures, in LRW 1003, discussing today’s most urgent global issues!

As part of our Graduate Seminar GLOBALST 702 – Urgent Global Issues, we will be opening the doors to the public for 4 of our lectures this term, giving you the opportunity to hear from McMaster’s Experts, while we explore these interdisciplinary topics!

We will be joined by Dr. Tony Porter, a Professor of Political Science, who’s research covers global governance and business regulation, including financial regulation, private, hybrid public/private rulemaking, and the organizational effects in governance of digital and other technologies, numbers, and time.

Moderator: Dr. Sara Bannerman, Professor, Communication Studies & Media Arts

Abstract

Digitization is transforming our world in an infinite number of big and small ways. Early digitization was most often seen as inherently liberating and democratizing, with the internet democratizing the flow of information, activists using social media to challenge dictators or bitcoin displacing government control of money. Today this optimism has changed to pessimism, as authoritarian leaders have learned how to use digital technologies to stay in power, Big Tech firms and founders such as Elon Musk have amassed Extraordinary power, and both state and non-state actors have engaged in surveillance and enabled the flow of misinformation and hate, all of which have damaged democracy in country after country. This lecture will highlight the multi-dimensional and multi-scalar threats to democracy associated with global digitization and link these to other intersecting global transformations such as the end of the US-led global liberal order and the shift in the key source of power in contemporary informational capitalism from finance to digital technologies.

All are welcome, please register here to ensure a seat! Light refreshments provided!

As always, if you want to stay up to date with our Urgent Global Issues public lecture series, or other Globalization news, make sure to follow us on social media, all linked in the side bar!

Would you like to learn more about these lectures, and the content presented? In today’s interconnected world, the ability to understand global trends and navigate the complexities of international markets is more essential than ever. Our Master’s in Globalization empowers you with the tools, knowledge, and skills needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving global landscape. If your interested in a Master’s of globalization visit our program page, and apply today!