engaging times: 20 years of e-democracy lessons
TRANSCRIPT
Engaging Times
Steven Clift – @democracyKHub.net & E-Democracy.org
Slides: e-democracy.org/learn
“Breaking the ice” … means getting to
know you.
1994 – I woke up hearing my name on the radio …
World’s 1st election information website
E-debate, citizen forum online
Global media attention
A new Athens of democracy??!
Media over-hype.
“Made for Internet” Candidate
Governor Ventura
1998-2002
CitizenE-ForumsPro Wrestler
Built the digital town square …
Local focus
Neighborhoods today – up to 30% of households - more
Today’s work, Ask me about …
• KHub.Net – Knowledge Hub online groups for government and NGOs globally
• E-Democracy.org – Leader… mySociety/Poplus.org outreach
• 1RadioNews.com – Android app small start-up company
20 Years, 10 Lessons
Trends from digital history, so we can better solve democratic problems.
20 Years, 10 Lessons/Trends
1. About people2. Groups & places3. Democracy matters4. Agenda-setting5. Generations & youth
6. New voices7. Institutions and policy8. Open data & civic tech9. Knowledge sharing 10. Challenges
1. About people
Social Media – Private Life First
… about “Public Life” second
You are in the center
“networked individualism”
You
Friends
Family
Communities
Prof. Peers
Public
“Entities”
“My husband is missing …”
10+ e-tools used in “crowd-led” search
Defining “e-democracy”● Society’s sectors
moved online with “as is” one-way approach
● Citizens in center access digital information and add new many to many engagement
Political Groups
Private SectorGovernment
Media and Commercial
Content
“E-Citizen”Social MediaCenter
2. Groups & Places
Online groups and geography
• Representative government based on place
• Place + online groups = powerful impact
• “The most democratizing aspect of the Internet is the ability of people to organize and communicate in groups.” Steven Clift in “Democracy is Online” article published by Internet Society, 1998
City Hall
In-personConversations
Shared onFacebook
YourNetworks
Local Media
You
School, Library
Reporte
r
Com
mun
ity
Org
City
Councillor
Candidate
Local Biz
Nei
ghbo
r #1
Park Staff
Neighborhood
Leader
Mayor
Forum
Manager
Neighb
or #
500
Polic
e
LocalOnline Groups
Join Group
New Resident
Online public space in “real” community
Places and Information• Information (data) from
government often geographical
• Personalized notification on topics related to place
• With group engagement … 10x more empowering
3. Democracy Matters
Democracy Matters
• We must bring “democratic intent” forward for real change
• Marketing v. engagement tension
• Governance that can … listen, engage, and respond … people working together
Democratic Goals - Strategies• Public Trust and Transparency:
Information Access
• Accountability: Budget/Spending Data
• Better Decisions: Digital Public Engagement
• Effective Programs: Knowledge Exchange with Online Groups
Presidential E-Campaign 2008 (Early)
@POTUS joins Twitter himself May 18
POTUS = President of the United States
E-Petitions, FOI
E-Law, E-Courts• More access than ever tensions
over further access, who pays, and “what is in Google” privacy
4. Agenda-setting
Sharing power –
people to people
Agenda-setting• Citizen to citizen engagement
forming new public opinion• Blogging, then Facebook/Twitter/
YouTube, influencing mass media• Problems with 24 hour “political
spin” cycle online/cable TV news• E-Advocacy/E-Politics resources
Social Media Strategies – Key for organizations to raise vital voices, influence citizen dialogue online
Related Presentations
Beyond agenda-setting?• Deliberation
• Consensus decision-making
• Participatory budgeting
• “Do something”local projects?
5. Generations and Youth
#blacklivesmatter #hashtag fueled urgent news and protest info sharing
Good Fight podcast
#blacklivesmatter
Day 1Day 2
Day 11
#icantbreathe
in redMore
Text, Talk, and Act
part of the National Dialogue on Mental Health
Increasing voting
• Helps ease voter registration• Ongoing reminders for voters
Facebook-Native Politicians● Minneapolis elected 7 new council
members, average age 32 - more slides
● Councillors asking public questions, directly engaging, Mayor posts daily
● Personal profiles key - Pages secondary
Get Friendly Campaign?
• With 10,000+ local elected representatives across Taiwan, what would it take for 200 people within each local district to friend their representative(s) on Facebook?
What new models emerge …• When you are “of” not just “on” digital?
• When real-time speed, pictures, and/or protest needs sustained involvement, to go in-depth?
• Between national issues or causes before young people are more invested in a place?
• For intergenerational connections?
• E-participation by young people (Europe): Guide, Brochure, More
6. New Voices
Raising New Voices?
Numbersshowdivide
Source: PewInternet
Gaps in digital government use source
Over 50K Income
2x more likely
E-Democracy’s New Voices
Slides
Video
More
Just Ask? Yes.
7. Open data and civic tech
Open Gov Data“demand” from technical public, government has supply
Will work for stickers ... Software development and data use for good in society
Code for America
With, not for
Civic Tech Ecology -
Knight Foundation documents $695 millionUS invested –Mostly companies
8. Institutions and policy
Building Institutions, Policy● Investment: More are paid to care, make
change, engage
● Sustained Impact: mySociety, OKFN, ODI, Sunlight, CfA, Local Code for X, GovLab, g0v.tw, OGP - Open Government Partnership and government actions
● Policy: Open data policies, executive orders, government funding, new laws
US Open Government Directive
Policy led to action, like data portal
Some states and cities following lead
E-Justice, Justice 2.0• Growing interest in digital/open
data from courts, justice system• Canada Center for Court Technolo
gy – new SocMedia use report
• Open Data in Judiciary – Latin America, Liberia Pre-trial detention, Online Dispute Resolution, 10+ more resources: http://bit.ly/justiceopengov
9. Knowledge sharing
Knowledge exchange, sharing• Tools of online engagement to do
public service work – better output
• Lessons and practices shared across governments, civil society, and more
Open Gov Facebook Group● Secret strategy:
One click to link digital political leaders to #opengov
● 3660 members, 100+ countries
Knowledge Hub – KHub.net
Digital collaboration space dedicated to the public and non-profit sectors
Where public service professionals connect, exchange knowledge,ideas, insight and experience to improve public services
190,000 registered professionals across 450 public sector organisations and 11 countries – started in United Kingdom
10. Challenges
Big Challenges
• Loudest voices, conflict• Filtered for similarity, not diversity• Continuous evolution in
commercial services • Loss of control to reach more
people where they are online
Democratic Open Data Deficit● Stronger
o Budget and spendingo National politician infoo Politicized accountability
● Weakero Transparency for
engagemento Public meetingso Local democracyo Timely notice
● Projects to Watcho Open Civic Data
o Poplus “Components” – mySociety, g0v.tw, et al
o Google Civic API
o OpenStates
o Free Law Founders
o Councilmatic
Conclusion
We are the
Engagement GenerationLet’s build what can be. Together.
Thanks!StevenClift.com
e-democracy.org/learnKHub.net
1RadioNews.com
+1-612-234-7072 - M
A place to put slides that are moved out of presentations, but
can be shared
Extra Slides
The Email is Dead, Long Live the Email
● Direct access - location, location, location
● E-Newsletters● Personalized notification
Make it Visual
● Pictures, maps, infographics v. text “equality”
Over 1 mil comment to FCC.gov
Search for Joe - Tools of engagement
● Facebook● Text/SMS● Google Docs● Online maps● Signup Genius
● Weebly● YouTube● Paypal● Email● AKA “The Cloud”
Open Government Partnership
Commitments, Action Plans, IRMVideo on YouTube
States with open data activity
Chicago is smart● Smart Chicago
Collaborative
● CUTGroup - User testing
● Large Lots - Buy empty lots near you from city
● SchoolCuts.org
