Public Literacies: Civic Systems, Media & Emotional Intelligence

Coordinators: Gabor Hollbeck (ETH Zürich), Mikael Jakobsson (MIT Comparative Media Studies / Writing, MIT Game Lab), Richard Eberhardt (MIT Comparative Media Studies / Writing, MIT Game Lab)

The Idea: Motivations & Scope

With globalization and digitalization, the process of acquiring knowledge, forming opinions, and translating them into actions has transformed dramatically. From citizen journalism to influencers and content creators, our ability to produce and disseminate information has evolved exponentially in scale and media form. Changes in technology, social structures, and cultural expression have redefined how messages spread and shape beliefs. Focusing solely on technological literacy, such as understanding misinformation in a TikTok video, limits our view of the broader motivations and sociocultural contexts behind content production, remixing, and sharing.

Current formal and informal spaces and modes of learning have yet to catch up with the challenges of our historical moment. We believe that we need two types of schooling in life to cope with today’s challenges. The first school focuses on a deeper understanding of facts, scientific evidence, and systemic thinking: in short, a school that gives us the tools to understand the world and our place in it. A second school should hone self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and physical health and mental wellbeing. Modern secondary and higher education systems tend to focus on training in the first school. Yet, the urgent need to catch up with the complexity of our lives amid social, environmental, and political crises requires new initiatives in the realm of the second school.

We envision a future where education extends beyond traditional academic spaces to foster lifelong learning, interdisciplinary literacy, and emotional intelligence. In this pillar we aim to expand visions and tools for both schools of life. We are developing prototypes for life-long learning and creating transformational, engaging, and creative tools based on cultural-historical, social and cognitive sciences. Powered by digital platforms, game concepts, and AI, we aim to promote holistic, adaptive learning systems for the 21st century. 

Guiding Questions

  • In an age of fake news, data & media bias, and polarization, how can we harness the diverse driving forces behind today’s global information flows for enhancing emotional intelligence, civic literacy, political agency and human flourishing?
  • Looking into millennia of human experience on the planet, how have people learned about current events and the past?  What political and social institutions have shaped the creation and dissemination of knowledge and know-how? What best practices can we learn from this for our world?
  • How have humans in deep space and time defined themselves in relation to their neighbors, communities, nations, cultures, and, most recently, digital platforms and social media?
  • What modes of awareness of their social and institutional belonging have humans developed and how has that impacted their views of agency and ability to serve as agents of change?
  • How can interactive digital dialogues and AI tools enhance civic awareness, emotional intelligence, and a deeper appreciation for our own political agency?

Goals & Actions

  • Merge cognitive sciences, humanities, and emerging technologies to create dynamic, AI-assisted tools and gamified digital platforms that empower individuals to critically engage with media, culture, politics, and civic life
  • Enhance both personal and collective agency by blending systemic thinking with self-awareness. Through interactive and experiential learning approaches, we enable educators to integrate innovative methodologies that deepen learning, promote reflective inquiry, and translate knowledge into action
  • Cultivate informed, empathetic, and resilient local communities and global societies capable of adapting to the evolving demands of living in today’s crisis-driven world by leveraging AI-driven insights and game-based learning strategies

Ongoing Work