ID: 1649
Presenting Author: David Reynolds
Session: 552 - Accelerating with Integrity: Strengthening Social Impact Assessment in the face of urgency and misinformation
Status: pending
This session examines rebuilding trust through digital justice, balancing transparency and privacy, and tackling polarization, ethics, and equity in social impact practice.
Social impact assessment practitioners, government agencies, developers, and community leaders face increasing pressure to deliver projects amid growing opposition and misinformation. In our daily practice worldwide, we observe rising mistrust and polarization, driven by digital disinformation, data insecurity, and a zero-sum mindset that views others’ progress as personal or collective loss. According to Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer, nearly half of respondents and a majority of young adults support some form of hostile activism to push for change, highlighting a climate of increased grievance and social division.
Using a person-in-environment perspective, this session’s case studies examine how practitioners can navigate these dynamics by balancing transparency and data security, and by applying the emerging principles of digital justice. It considers the ethical implications of new technologies like AI and quantum computing, including risks of surveillance, bias, discrimination, and human rights violations that affect both individuals and broader social contexts. Participants will engage in dialogue and share strategies to strengthen integrity, rebuild trust, and protect privacy while promoting inclusive and equitable social impact practices amid increasing and interconnected digital, social, and environmental risks.
David is a social consultant helping global businesses in high-risk areas build sustainable relationships and reduce risk through policy analysis, systems change, and person-in-environment frameworks.