The Centre for Research in Theology and Religious Studies (CITER) at the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP) launched the work "Digital Ecology", which proposes a critical reflection on the ethical, social and environmental challenges of digital transformation. The book results from research developed at CITER at the Faculty of Theology of the Portuguese Catholic University and is part of the collection "Caring for Our Common Home", published by the Portuguese Catholic University.
The work is coordinated by Luís Miguel Figueiredo Rodrigues, Alex Villas Boas and Alexandre Palma, all from the Portuguese Catholic University, and by Fabiano Incerti, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. The foreword is by Antonio Spadaro, numerary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The book brings together contributions from researchers in the areas of theology, philosophy, communication, education and digital culture.
One of the central ideas of the work is the connection between the environmental crisis and digital transformation, arguing that the environmental crisis, social fragmentation and digital imbalances are not isolated problems. The work avoids both uncritical enthusiasm and the pessimistic view of technological innovation, addressing topics such as artificial intelligence, algorithms, social media, communication ethics, media literacy, democracy, education, cognitive transformations, digital colonialism and the concentration of power in major technological platforms.
An essay included in the book, by theologian Rocco Predoti, challenges the Church to rethink evangelization on social media through a relational presence based on dialogue and authentic fraternity, warning that the constant evolution of algorithms and the migration of new generations to closed conversation communities require catechetical methodologies that go beyond simple mass sharing of posts.
