Informatics Professor Gloria Mark will give a talk at the 2016 Aspen Ideas Festival (AIF), what’s become a public gathering place for global leaders from across many disciplines to engage in deep and inquisitive discussions of the ideas and issues that shape our lives and challenge our times.

Mark’s talk, part of “The Power of Connectivity” track, will delve into how digital media affects our lives with stress, distraction and mood. Her talk and others in the track will focus on the double-edged sword of global connectivity, which allows us to use our devices to shorten the geographic distances between us, empower voices yet unheard, enhance our appreciation of diverse cultures, and to kindle economic opportunity. While, on the other hand, this global connectivity can create new problems in the realms of equity, privacy, safety and crime.

The Aspen Ideas Festival is an annual gathering co-hosted by The Aspen Institute—an organization dedicated to fostering values-based leadership, as well as providing a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues—and The Atlantic magazine. Launched in 2005, the festival brings together some 350 presenters, 200 sessions and 3,000 attendees. This year’s event takes place June 23-July 2 at the institute’s Aspen, Colorado campus.

The AIF blog also just published a post titled “5 Questions with Gloria Mark,” which provides more details about Mark’s research.