Final Reflection

Participants have highlighted the need and vitality of social media for community building, democratic information sharing, and access to public information without setting governmental or institutional restrictions. That was for the good/bright edge as for dull one it was the rapid spread of misinformation compared to reality the confusion and the reliance on unreliable sources simply due to bias along with mental effects of it from the significant increase in mental instability in the current age due to high interaction with unrealistic forms of comparison; Leading to stress, anxiety, and even low esteem. Interestingly enough I asked my interviewees to share their daily screen activity throughout the past month which showed great irony as to their complaints on the dull side. Older participants ,however, thought of it as something that can just be turned off while still showing great interaction with AI usage, another point of paradox.

I’m not sure at first it was complicated to choose a question that would both not be open-ended leaving you with scattered information nor too detailed leaving you with useful information ,yet minimal so I had to make sure that there is space for speaking without getting lost in their own thoughtful answers therefore adding meaningful follow up questions. This helped move the question from a what to a why rather. My role to be exact felt like a mediator rather than an interviewer where I attached abstract concepts to people’s voices and naturally listened without interruption to help promote self worth.

I’ve got to say though at first I was not interested in joining a conversation with others debating on random things that could lead to an argument, especially once a week, not just once when I’m already lost for time. But, I found it quite fun to be able to chat safely with strangers who were soon to no longer be strangers. Expectancy was at an all time high for conflicting points of views and ,yet it was quite the opposite showing great similarities between each of us even when living in completely separate locations both linguistically, culturally, and even religiously.

The greatest point in the program’s discussions would be the transfer from what is happening around us like politically, economically, or socially to why it matters to us or why we care so much. I did learn a lot though from empathy, communication, acceptance ,and understanding to be kept in mind when approaching any conversation with another specially less identical people.

Interacting with international students in Tahrir that can speak the native language was something I wasn’t expecting to see as I am quite surprised that someone would choose to learn such a hard language but it still added a layer of mutual respect to our exchange. This chance was interesting in a way where we used the language to help reveal what we mean by certain words while still having them eager to understand what certain phrases mean that don’t exist in their languages. It created a sort of understanding that we can’t have by observing from afar and instead experienced it directly together.

Lastly, Equity unbound taught me what access really means in the digital world. As we normally put value in social media due to information accessibility, this session highlighted for me how much is actually exclusionary. Ensuring that open education isn’t about availability but rather accessibility to everyone regardless of their physical or cognitive limitations. It moved me from political or economical viewpoints or reasons to instead a fundamental commitment towards human dignity and inclusive belonging.