Event details
To mark RUOK? Day, social psychologist Hugh Mackay will give an online presentation exploring social issues facing Australians today explored in his most recent book The Way We Are.
His book examines the major trends that are shaking the foundations of the Australian way of life amidst epidemics of loneliness, anxiety and depression in a unique post-Covid era. He explores the impacts of entrenched poverty and ubiquitous technology.
Drawing on thousands of interviews over a lifetime of research, Hugh Mackay, much loved and highly respected social psychologist, presents a compelling portrait of Australia today. He's identified 5 major social issues facing Australia today:
- the unfinished march towards gender equality and the persistence of misogyny
- the anti-social consequences of social media and the impacts of information overload
- the complex legacy of Baby Boomers
- the decline in religious faith and what substitutes we are looking to
- the Age of Opinion and the spread of ‘fake wisdom’
Hugh will explore ways that we as individuals and as a society can rebuild our sense of community.
About Hugh Mackay
Hugh Mackay is a social psychologist and bestselling author. His non-fiction covers social analysis, psychology, communication and ethics. He is also the author of nine novels. Hugh has had a sixty-year career in social research and was a weekly newspaper columnist for twenty-five years. He is a fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Society of New South Wales and has been awarded honorary doctorates by five Australian universities. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015 and is currently an honorary professor in the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra.