The House of Lords COVID-19
Committee will take evidence from witnesses including
academics from UCL and University of Oxford and the British Red
Cross exploring how an increasingly digitalised world,
post-pandemic, might help or hinder social connection.
The sessions will take place virtually from
10am on Tuesday 12 January and will be streamed live on
Parliament
TV.
Giving evidence will be:
10am
-
Professor Robin Dunbar, Professor
of Evolutionary Psychology, University of Oxford;
-
, Managing Director of the Cares
Family;
-
Olivia Field, Head of Health and
Resilience Policy at the British Red Cross; and
-
Professor Daniel Miller, Professor
of Anthropology, UCL.
Themes for discussion include;
-
What has been learned during the pandemic about how
technology can be used to build and strengthen social
connections?
-
What have social distancing requirements and the
temporary closure of physical meeting spaces taught us about
the importance of maintaining opportunities to meet in
person?
-
If increased home working and digital service
delivery results in fewer face-to-face interactions in daily
life, what impact might that have on our wellbeing, and is any
action needed as a result?
-
If increasing digitalisation results in the closure
of some shops and other public spaces, how might that space be
utilised to help people form more social
connections?
Notes to Editors
-
Professor Dunbar’s research focuses on social
bonding.
-
The Cares Family is a group of local community
networks that bring older and younger people together to reduce
social isolation.
-
The British Red Cross have done a lot of research
on different aspects of loneliness and facilitate a number of
networks and coalitions on the topic.
-
Professor Miller’s recent work has focused on
people’s use of smart phones and social media.
