13,233 Media Ecology Association, 18th Annual Convention

Media Ecology Association

The 18th Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association

Sponsored by the Roy E. and Patricia Disney Forum

Saint Mary’s College of California is proud to host the 18^th annual convention of the Media Ecology Association (MEA). Founded in 1863, Saint Mary’s is one of the oldest colleges in the western U.S. with the original location in San Francisco and now located on a 420-acre campus in the Moraga Valley, 20 miles east of San Francisco. The convention will be held from June 22 through 25, 2017.

| Program |

The theme for the 18^th annual MEA Convention is Technology, Spirituality, Ecology. This tri-part theme provides a confluence of topics that represent major global concerns in the contemporary age. This is probably best articulated in the papal encyclical from Pope Francis, Laudato Si, when he stated that “when media and the digital world become omnipresent, their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously. In this context, the great sages of the past run the risk of going unheard amid the noise and distractions of an information overload. Efforts need to be made to help these media become sources of new cultural progress for humanity and not a threat to our deepest riches. True wisdom, as the fruit of self-examination, dialogue and generous encounter between persons, is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data which eventually leads to overload and confusion, a sort of mental pollution. Real relationships with others, with all the challenges they entail, now tend to be replaced by a type of internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim, thus giving rise to a new type of contrived emotion which has more to do with devices and displays than with other people and with nature (para. 47).

Ed Tywoniak, Convention Chair
Lori Erokan, Convention Coordinator

Registration is open:

See you soon!

Brett Lunceford President Media Ecology Association president@media-ecology.org	Fernando Gutiérrez Executive Secretary Media Ecology Association secretary@media-ecology.org