Communications and Society Program

The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program serves as a venue for global leaders and experts to exchange insights on the societal impact of advances in digital technology and network communications. It also creates a multidisciplinary space in the communications policy-making world where veteran and emerging decision-makers from business, government, academia and the non-profit sector can explore new concepts and develop new policy networks. Meetings have led, for example, to the creation of new Internet-based educational opportunities abroad, and to the formulation of new telecommunications policies allowing U.S. schools and libraries to connect to the Internet at greatly reduced cost.

The Program convenes approximately ten leadership roundtable dialogues each year covering such subjects as journalism and national security, new technologies and democratic values, the future of news and new media, the effect of media coverage on Arab-U.S. relations, mobile media and civic engagement, cloud computing and identity, environmental impact of the mail, and issues surrounding minority and ethnic media. Leaders from diverse disciplines and perspectives engage in moderated discussions that culminate in specific conclusions and recommendations. Conference reports are distributed to key policymakers and opinion leaders around the world and are also made available to the public online.