Diana Kinnert: "Our children will soon be in the metaverse"
CDU politician Diana Kinnert on filter bubbles, self-affirmation and media skills.
Buzzwords, fake news, WhatsApp chain letters: instead of being able to rely on reliable realities, conspiratorial myths are now tearing our security apart and tempting us to become lone wolves. This is the thesis put forward by 31-year-old publicist and CDU politician Diana Kinnert in her book "Die neue Einsamkeit. And how we can overcome it as a society" (2021) .
Ms Kinnert, in your book "The new loneliness" you write that the digital age is characterized by loneliness and information distortion. What skills do children need to protect themselves from this?
Diana Kinnert: First of all, it's about character building and self-confidence. Those who feel inferior, neglected and rejected shy away from openness, pluralism and exchange and move in filter bubbles and self-affirmation. Media skills are also important, as is proper research and the ability to verify sources. Healthy skepticism is a good philosophy for moving around on the Internet.
What does it take for parents, educators and politicians to create a safe space for media education?
It is resource-intensive, above all time-intensive. New apps are constantly being developed and children are soon moving in the metaverse. The relationship between children, parents, teachers and politicians must be based on an open exchange, discussing values and principles, becoming aware of boundary violations and demanding boundaries. This mechanism only works if everyone knows about the others.
But how many adults know the differences between Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram? What is Minecraft, what is Fortnite? Getting to grips with this takes time. But then misunderstandings can be cleared up and binding rules can be agreed together.
So if we want to make our children fit for the Internet, adults need to take care of their media skills first?
The digital space is still uncharted territory for all age groups. Grandparents despair when checking in at the airport or making vaccination appointments online. Parents find like-minded people in Facebook groups - and sometimes like-minded weirdos who whisk them away into filter bubbles and Telegram groups.
Of course, young people also have to struggle: with beauty filters on Instagram that make us feel ashamed and inferior and with depictions of violence and pornography. Digital education is a must for all age groups - and: you never stop learning. In the growing Internet, lifelong learning is the right approach.
About Diana Kinnert
When Diana Kinnert is not writing a book, she is involved in CDU federal politics. Since 2016, she has also been managing director of the newsgreen GmbH, a news platform for "green innovations and technologies", and the Globalo News Publishing GmbHa media company that produces political documentaries, among other things.
