SAZ MEDIA are a film and photography Social Enterprise. They reinvest profits back into supporting the community by giving free learning opportunities for diverse communities and are a DigiKnow partner. Sara Auty is Executive Director.
Digital technology provides an opportunity for us to explore, innovate, access and improve our lives. At SAZ MEDIA we’ve been using digital technology since our inception, and we are quite comfortable exploring new technologies and testing the boundaries. But what about others?
There are so many people out there who don’t have access to technology and aren’t equipped with the knowledge to engage with it. So, we were thrilled to be commissioned as part of Stockport’s Town of Culture DigiFest to create a project that explores how others use digital technology. We really see the value in learning from each other’s experiences and creating a community to share and learn. It’s what our Social Enterprise is all about.
The project
We interviewed residents from across Stockport to find out how and why they use digital. We recruited them using a mix of social media and direct contact through community groups.
Check out our web page to view all eight individual videos and for further information.
The results have been a mixed bag, as expected. The use of digital covers everything from taking an image on a digital camera to using an app on your phone, video calling your nan in Austria or using AI for all sorts of things.
The point of the videos is that they show different experiences, and high- and low-level use of digital. People describe their experiences and places to start the learning journey.
There’s new technologies happening all the time so I think it’s really important that we need to get everybody involved in that evolution of technology, because if we leave people behind, they’re not going to be able to benefit from these kind of developments. Just be a little bit curious you know. Have a look and try and understand it and what’s going on and make up your own mind about whether that’s something you want to use in your life or not.
I do use the NHS App. When you’re at an age where you know you need to use the technology for your appointments etc. Technology is trying to help everybody not hinder everybody. For somebody like myself, it’s fantastic. Use it as a tool to help you. Basically, it does help you.
It really is connecting people. I think there was a fear. I was at that stage where I was scared. But then I started using it when I realised, okay, if I don’t press a certain button, I’m not going to be out there for the world to see. So just don’t be afraid to use it.
What’s next
We hope that these videos offer some guidance or inspiration whatever level you are at. Do you have something you’d love to share with us about your digital journey? Get in touch to let us know and it just may inspire our next wave of digital educational films.
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