As we entered 2023, many eyes have turned to the digital realm and its youngest actors, digital natives, or Generation Z. The digital readiness of countries around the world is regarded to be the new contested area as many vie for technological advancements and innovation following a relatively stagnant few years characterized by the COVID pandemic. It is against such a backdrop that the Youth and Digital Transformation webinar is convening under a tripartite event by Portulans Institute, Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and Digital Communication Network Global.
The webinar, due to take place on February 8, will bring together experts from academia and civil society organizations to continue the discussion around youth and digital transformation following the publication of the Network Readiness Index (NRI) last November.
The 2022 edition of the Network Readiness Index, one of the world’s most comprehensive assessments of digital readiness, was published by Portulans Institute, in collaboration with Oxford’s Saïd Business School and 2022 Knowledge Partner malomatia.  
First launched with the World Economic Forum in 2002, and redesigned in 2019, the NRI is an in-depth analysis of 131 countries’ performance across four dimensions of digital readiness – technology, people, governance, and impact – using 58 different indicators. 
The 2022 Network Readiness Index report has seen the US knock the Netherlands off the top spot, with Singapore and Sweden coming in second and third place. 
This latest edition, titled ‘Stepping into the new digital era: How and why digital natives will shape the world’, explores the challenges and opportunities that the digital era presents for younger generations, digital natives, and some of the key dimensions along which they will build the next stages of the world’s digital era.      
Soumitra Dutta, co-founder and President of Portulans Institute, Dean of Oxford Saïd and co-author of the report, said:  

“Gen-Z and millennials are digital natives who are pointing to the direction of our digital futures. The shape of business and society tomorrow is being influenced by digital technologies in ways that we are only starting to understand today. The NRI is a valuable tool that provides better metrics and insights into creating a safe, inclusive, and trusted digital future for businesses and society.”

While there is no doubt that digital natives will shape the world, critical issues remain to be addressed regarding how they will go about it, what goals and purposes will drive their efforts, and their degree of readiness to do so. The report delves into these questions, as well as addressing how digital natives are shaping the future of work and distinguishing themselves from previous generations through their priorities and values. Read the full report here.
During the first part of the webinar titled ‘Youth and Digital Transformation: challenges to media literacy and active citizenship’, the Portulans Institute will present key findings and highlights from the Network Readiness Index 2022. 
This will be followed by a panel discussion that will explore important topics such as media literacy and active citizenship, the role of formal education, trust and social media in fostering youth engagement. 
The webinar, which is organized by Portulans Institute, Oxford Saïd, and the Digital Communications Network Global, a think tank and collaborative network that connects professionals of the digital age, will not only examine some of the factors behind how and why digital natives will shape our world, but will also shed light on the state of the post-COVID era in digital transformation.
Speakers:

• Rafael Escalona Reynoso, CEO and Secretary for the Board of Directors, Portulans Institute, USA
• Nikos Panagitou, President, DCN Global, Greece
• Alexander Le Voci Sayad, Co-Chair of the International Steering Committee, UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance, Brazil
• Bibi C. Reisdorf, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA
• Mariam Chaduneli, Senior Policy Associate, Project Manager of the NRI, Portulans Institute, UK

The discussion will be moderated by Raashi Saxena, DCN Global team member, Asia.
The free webinar will take place on Wednesday, February 8th at 9:00am EST / 2:00 pm GMT.
To learn more and register, please visit the event registration page.    
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