Can we live without Facebook? Thursday Night Live's latest provocation

Given the recent attention on Facebook, in particular its impact on the 2016 USA election and the revelations at the recent congressional hearings, Thursday Night Live! thought it timely to ask the question: Can we live without Facebook?
 
The Thursday Night Live! panel will discuss how Facebook has affected our lives for better or for worse; and the ways in which it has expanded our networks, our ways of connecting and its use as a platform for protest or collaboration. We will also question how it has positively or negatively changed our modes of social communication and the dissemination of information – false or otherwise.
 
The discussion will be facilitated by Associate Lecturer Jeanti St Clair, a journalism lecturer at Southern Cross University, who specialises in taking her students deep into the practice of journalism through real world reporting experiences. She first set up her Facebook account at the behest of her editor at news.com.au. Little did journalism know back then how central this social media platform would become for marketing and communication and how much it would bite into the bottom line of the news media. 
 
Joining Jeanti to discuss the provocation will be three panellists:
 
Kirra Pendergrast who in 2008 started a boutique consulting company focused solely on social media security, privacy, and risk management. In 2014 she founded Safe on Social Media after experiencing serious and relentless online harassment, cyberbullying and trolling herself. Safe on Social Media’s purpose is to educate and support students, teachers, parents and community members; and educating them about the law, information security and privacy when using social media.
 
Sigrid Macdonald is a proud deaf woman and mum of two bilingual babies. She's an accessibility advocate, artist and community worker. Previously working as an Auslan teacher, Sigrid is now working in the community focusing on recognising and navigating barriers to inclusion in everyday life, with a passion for the arts and the region's exploding creative scene. She has used social media extensively in her personal and professional endeavours as an accessible way of engaging with others in the deaf and non-deaf communities.
 
Maddy-Rose Braddon is an environmental science/marine science and management graduate from Southern Cross University who is a passionate environmentalist and climate justice advocate. Having used social media since she was 13 years old, Maddy has a lot to say about how it has shaped her generation, how it can be a force for good, and the challenges that come with it. In 2017, using Facebook, Maddy helped create 'Lismore Helping Hands' a spontaneous community response to the March flood that hit the Northern Rivers region. She uses Facebook almost every day as a platform for connecting with friends and family but also as a tool to create change. 
 
EVENT INFO
Thursday Night Live!
When: Thursday 10 May at 6pm – 8pm
Where: Lismore Regional Gallery, 11 Rural Street Lismore, NSW
Cost: Free

And yes, we get the irony of using a Facebook event page to circulate awareness of the event. We encourage people to join the discussion, leave your comments and come along on the evening bearing gifts of questions. www.facebook.com/events/169722680292205/ #ThursdayNightLive
 
Thursday Night Live! is an ongoing talks program presented by Lismore Regional Gallery and Southern Cross University, putting thought-provoking and big ideas in the spotlight. It is held in Lismore Regional Gallery’s Event Space on the 2^nd Thursday of each month. Every event will pose a provocation for speakers and audiences to respond to.
 
*This is an Auslan Interpreted event
*This is a wheelchair accessible event