OFF-LINE: How to quit with social media”: The consortium joined the online Kick-Off Meeting of the OFF-LINE project

On April 20th, 2022, the consortium joined the Kick-Off Meeting of the OFF-LINE project, which is co-funded by the Erasmus Plus Program of the European Commission and brings together 7 Partners from 5 countries (Italy, Belgium, Spain, Finland and Romania). The KOM was held in online mode.

Whilst nearly 60% of the world’s population is already online, the latest trends suggest that more than half of the world’s total population will use social media by mid-2022 (Hootsuite, 2020). However, this should not be acclaimed as a success, if we consider social media’s hidden pitfalls and dangers, such as data privacy violations and fake news. It is, indeed, no coincidence that the world’s average IQ started lowering since 2009.

In order to contrast this not-so-pleasant scenario, the “OFF-Line: how to quit social media” project aims at contributing to transform the digital world in a place that promotes culture, correct informations and the development of a constructive and critical  thinking. The specific objectives will therefore be reducing the time spent on social media by promoting a more correct and virtuous navigation, and develop a culture of correct information among adults, through digital newspapers or magazines or other accredited source.

During the meeting, the consortium discussed about the overall project implementation schedule, defining timelines and respective duties. During the first phase, partners will carry out primary research of media and online resources aimed at fostering interest in cultural and online media activities that promote the development of critical thinking. The results will help partners develop tailored training courses and tools to be uploaded on the OFF-LINE OER platform, along with other project’s outputs, news and contacts that will be available on the OFF-LINE project website for individual users, VET centres and policy makers.