Digital Media and Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities in the Connected Society

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1709

Keywords:

Human rights, digital, technology, human being, algorithms, media, social networks, knowledge

Abstract

Introduction: Human nature grants inalienable rights to individuals, essential for fulfilling their role in the world and understanding their obligations to themselves and others. These rights must be respected by individuals and societies to maintain balance in social interactions. Objectives: To show how the current use of social media goes against human rights because, through algorithms, individuals are manipulated in decision-making across different áreas. Methodology: This study employs a qualitative approach, based on a literature review and analysis of previous studies on the impact of technology and digital media on human rights. Academic sources, reports on algorithm usage, and the effect of social media on interpersonal communication were analyzed. Results and Discussion: Findings suggest that the proliferation of technologies and digital platforms has decreased verbal communication and weakened personal relationships. Furthermore, the use of algorithms to personalize content compromises users' freedom, as they are unaware of how their online interactions are being manipulated. Conclusions: Digital media have a significant impact on human rights, particularly on individual freedom and the quality of personal relationships. This work emphasizes the importance of ensuring that technology fosters a safe and favorable environment for humans, aligned with human rights principles.

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Author Biographies

Laura Trujillo-Liñán, Panamerican University

She is a professor and researcher of Humanities, Communication and Philosophy at the Universidad Panamericana. She is Director of the Universidad Panamericana online. Vice President of the Media Ecology Association, member of the Board of the General Semantics Institute in New York City, member of the Board of the Media Ecology Association, member of the Instituto Promotor del Bien Común, the International Communication Association (ICA) and the Asociación Filosófica de México (AFM), she is a member of the National System of Researchers in Mexico City (SNI). He holds a B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy. D. in History of Thought from the Universidad Panamericana with a thesis on the Formal Cause in the thought of Marshall McLuhan and Aristotle. She is the winner of the Marshall McLuhan Award from the Media Ecology Association for her book Formal Cause in Marshall McLuhan's Thinking: An Aristotelian Perspective. She has written numerous articles and book chapters on topics related to Marshall McLuhan, Aristotle, metaphysics, ethics, and media.

Ricardo Meneses-Trujillo, Panamerican University

He is an industrial engineer with 2 specializations: one in Project Management and another in Corporate Finance from the Universidad Panamericana. His academic endeavors include a full-time MBA from IPADE Business School, a 4-month exchange program at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, and a diploma in Data Science from Columbia University in New York. Ricardo has worked as a consultant at KPMG, helping international companies such as Aeroméxico, BMW, Volkswagen, Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim. He has also worked as general director of a large automotive industry company in Mexico called Grupo Andrade. He is currently founder and CEO of Digital Thunder, a digital marketing agency, and also shares his experience as a professor of Big Data and Marketing at the Universidad Panamericana. He is also an international speaker and has participated in the Media Ecology Association. Ricardo is not only a strategist and educator but also a musician who plays violin, piano and cello, he has been certified by the Royal School of Music. Fluent in French, English and Spanish, she nurtures her artistic side through painting and is further expanding her intellectual pursuits with a degree in Philosophy.

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Published

2025-02-20

How to Cite

Trujillo-Liñán, L., & Meneses-Trujillo, R. (2025). Digital Media and Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities in the Connected Society. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 10, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1709

Issue

Vol. 10 (2025)

Section

Cover articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Trujillo-Liñán, Ricardo Meneses-Trujillo

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