BY MIKE TUA
NO product is made today, no person goes today, and nothing is connected and analyzed or communicated without the overwhelming value of digital technology, said Hon. Lanelle Tanangada, Solomon Islands Minister for Education and Human Resources Development.
She made the keynote remarks at the official opening ceremony of the 6th Pacific Media Summit 2022, under the theme “The Digital Revolution – Transforming Threats into Opportunities for the Pacific Media”.
The Pacific region’s biggest media event was jointly hosted by the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) and Solomon Islands Media Association (MASI).
“With the rapid advancement of digital technology and the increasing use of this technology to advance media reach in the Pacific, it is fitting that the theme for this summit is ‘The digital revolution transforming threats into opportunities for the Pacific media.
“Digital technology around the globe involves music computerized thinking to come up with creative solutions that will lead to better ways of doing things and to use computational thinking every day to look at the problem, break it down to easier parts to find patterns, and come up with a systemic efficient ways to solve it.
“In the same way combining digital technologies with media literacy enables individuals to develop the competencies to access and analyze and engage in critical thinking about the arranged messages they may see and send to make informed decisions about the everyday issues they face regarding health, work, quality, and leisure,” Hon. Lanelle Tanangada said.
The Minister for Education and Human Resources Development said the government understands the treats and benefits of the wider use of digital technology.
“In the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, our development Partners played a significant role in financing our digital education resources let alone our needs, and connected us with our stakeholders especially our schools and communities and each other.
“The understanding is a basic human right and the need to empower citizens of the pacific to engage in meaningful information contributing effectively to economic growth and in fact to improve the standard of living for every house hold in the pacific community.
“The need for appropriate policies, procedures, and processes to ensure our people are not subjected to negative effects and ultimately threats to our basic human rights must be given higher importance in this digital revolution.
“Cyberbullying is an instant threat to our pacific children and people and should be given zero tolerance. The need for well-informed and balanced………is critical in maximizing opportunities to dedicate our consumers in the Pacific,” she said.
