Digital media: Experts call for content regulation
Experts from the University of Ilorin, Kwara, on Thursday called for regulation of digital media and its Contents.
The digital media and its contents, they said, were capable of eroding the cultural morality of society.
The program was organized by Daily Links Digital Media in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Ilorin.
The theme was “Community Consultation on the UNESCO 3.0 Version of ‘ Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Access to Information: Guidelines for a Multistakeholder Approach in the Context of Regulating Digital Platforms.”.
Speaking on the topic, an expert on Digital Media, Prof. AbdulRasheed Jimohof the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology of the university, said there was a need forcaution in utilizing digital media.
He observed that digital participation is not location-bound but global in nature, adding that contents that were disseminated in the digital media were spontaneously viewed across other parts of the world.
According to him, digital platforms are global and have a social component, and in the regulation of their content, there is a need for a collaborative approach.
He opined that every country has its own local content and therefore must have guidelines to make it flexible, bearing in mind the need to protect cultural values.
In his presentation also, Dr. Mustapha Lambe, former Head of Department of Mass Communication at the University of Ilorin,described digital contents as digital resources including texts, audio, and visual-based content.
He explained that it isa convergence where all the contents—visual, audio, and text—are utilized simultaneously.
The expert in communication studies advocated a human-machine approach to the regulation of digital media contents.
He explained further that machine regulations involved building Algorithms that could recognize and expunge contents that were detrimental to society.
Lambe also said other ways of regulating involved flagging regular violators on digital platforms, while also educating people on nationality and ethics.
The expert warned that a society and its press would rise and fall together, adding that guidelines would help sanitizeformation space.
