Recently, Xu Xiaogou, founder of the International Mobility Research Institute (IMRI) and Distinguished Professor of the Sino-German Branding School, gave a special lecture to the students and teachers of the school."Saving the SDG Narrative: AI, 3E, Mobile".
Presenter's introduction
Prof. Xu Xiaoge, graduated from Hangzhou University in 1982, received his second bachelor's degree in international journalism from the China Institute of Journalism in 1989, master's degree in mass communication from Kansas State University in the United States of America, and doctorate degree in communication from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 1994 and 2004, respectively. He has taught at universities in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Botswana and Ningbo. He currently teaches at the Sino-German Branding Department of Zhejiang Wanli College. He is the founder of the International Mobility Institute and editor of the IGI Global AWTT series of books.Since founding the International Mobile Research Institute (IMRI) in 2012, Prof. Xu has been dedicated to promoting and conducting mobile research, focusing on the areas of mobile media, mobile everything and mobile communication.
Sustainable development is one of the most pressing challenges facing the world today. In order to safeguard the future of the planet and humanity, the United Nations formulated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, with a 15-year deadline for implementation. Today, our world seems to be "off track" to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
According to Prof. Xu Xiaogou, this phenomenon occurs firstly because it is not easy to link and integrate resources to achieve the SDGs. The second is that most stories about the SDGs have low relevance to local, regional or international audiences. The most serious problem is the lack of audience trust in SDG stories. As a result, audiences feel indifferent, ignorant, and powerless to the stories of the SDGs.
Prof. Xu Xiaogou said, "Instead of discussing how to achieve the seventeen goals of sustainable development, we are thinking today about how to tell the story of the SDGs and make the audience understand the message we want to convey."
To save the SDG narrative, Prof. Xu Xiaogou proposed three paths: AI, 3E and mobile.
1.AI path
As the world becomes increasingly digital and mobile, and the way we tell stories changes, AI changes the way people tell narratives and reshapes the way we tell, share, and engage with the SDG stories, said Professor Xu Xiaogou. We can use AI to identify complex data, trends and create compelling narrative pictures that resonate with people. But it's important to note thatAI is always just a tool, and people should utilize it wisely, not be controlled by it.
2.3E path
3E, which stands for Engage, Enlighten and Empower.In order to salvage the narrative of the SDGs and win the hearts and minds of audiences, there is an urgent need to engage, inspire and empower audiences locally, nationally, regionally and internationally, as the SDGs are about everyone.
3. Movement path
The mobile pathway refers to making good use of the mobile medium to provide a portable communication vehicle for SDG narratives. With billions of cell phones around the world, the impact potential of these storytelling platforms to reach a global audience is enormous. It is a medium for storytelling that is always available, always online and easily accessible, and ready to be joined. It is a platform where SDG stories can be experienced, not just invited to be read or listened to together. Artificial intelligence and mobile media can create immersive and interactive SDG stories. They can engage and inspire audiences.
Prof. Xu Xiaogou emphasized that the urgency of storytelling on the theme of sustainable development is undeniable, and that we need to utilize tools such as mobile devices and artificial intelligence to give the audience an immersive experience during the narrative process to better convey the message to each other. Everyone can be a storyteller.Everyone should learn how to tell a good story.
At the end of the lecture, Prof. Xu Xiaogou concluded with a quote from The Meaning of Shakespeare, "The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in. lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in)."He hoped that the students in the audience could share and tell their stories, care about poverty, hunger and war, listen to others, and work to build a world of interconnectedness between people.
English