100922 edemocracy in brighton and hove
DESCRIPTION
I'm leading a workshop at Jubilee Library as part of Brighton & Hove Democracy Day today, 22 September 2010. It's an hour long so these notes provide a starting point for a discussion and a review of what's happening and I hope will prompt people to share what they know about.The key question for the workshop is has the internet helped improve local democracy? If so, how?TRANSCRIPT
eDemocracy In Brighton & Hove
Mark Walker, SCIP
Prepared for Brighton & Hove Democracy Day
September 22 2010
About me
• Founder of SCIP, 1995• IT Services• Training• Web Design• Databases• Community projects:
– Raise awareness – Build new ideas– Share learning
About This Session
• Are you following your MP on Facebook? Do you remember how young Iranians used Twitter to tell the world what was happening during last year’s presidential elections?
• Online tools are becoming more and more important in supporting people’s participation in public life, strengthening communities and building democracy
• Come to this workshop and get a taster of blogs, podcasts and e-petitions.
• We will discuss how you can use these tools to influence and get your voice heard.
Some questions
Has the internet helped democracy work better in Brighton & Hove?
• What’s happening?• What’s working?• Who voice[s] are we hearing?• Is it better than before?• What can we do next?
Context
Who uses the internet?
• Young People• Older People• Wealthy People• Poor People• People With Disabilities• Geographic Communities• Communities of Interest• Government• Business• Individuals
• Your Colleagues• Your Volunteers• Your Friends• Your Family• Your Funders• Your Partners• Your Customers• Your Competitors• Your Suppliers
Who doesn’t use the internet?
• 10 million adults have never used the internet of which 4 million are also socially excluded [PWC 2009]
• Of the 4 million, 39% are over 65, 38% are unemployed and 19% are families with children.
• 70% of people living in social housing aren’t online – which is 28% of everyone not online [Oxford Internet Survey 2007]
• 70% of people over 65 have never used the internet [ONS 08]
Jargon
• Podcasting• Blogs• Video-sharing• Microblogging • Social Networking• Social Bookmarking• Document-sharing• Video Conferencing
• Facebook• LinkedIn• Twitter• Ning• Youtube• Yammer• Slideshare• SurveyMonkey• Wikis• Email forums• Bulletin boards
Social Media and Web 2.0
Web 1.0
• 1990s• Websites• One-way• Online reflecting offline• Advertising• Shopping
Web 2.0
• 2000s• Networks + community• Interactive• New ways of doing things• Conversation• PR• Transparency
How can the internet contribute to democracy?
• E-democracy aims for broader and more active citizen participation enabled by the Internet, mobile communications, and other technologies in today's representative democracy, as well as through more participatory or direct forms of citizen involvement in addressing public challenges.[2]
• Clift, S. (2004). E-Democracy Resource Links from Steven Clift - E-Government, E-Politics, E-Voting Links and more. Retrieved July 10, 2009, from Publicus.Ne-t Public Strategies forthe Online World: Publicus.net
It’s all about local
• Local people • Local forums• Local issues• Local processes• Local politicians• Local communities
It’s all about global
• Global issues• Global communities• Global solutions• Global politics
Brighton & Hove
• Email-based forums– Self-organised, active citizens
• Special interest groups– Addressing public challenges
• Decision-making processes– More representative democracy?
• Blogging– Whose voice are we hearing?
• Twitter– Are youlistening?
Email-based Forums
Brighton & Hove Issues Forum, SCIP List, CVSF List
Special interest groups and campaigns
Lewes Road Community Gardens on Facebook
Democratic processes
Brighton & Hove City Council Consultation Portal
News from Brighton
Some questions
• What’s happening?• What’s working?• Who voice[s] are we hearing?• Is it better than before?• What can we do next?
Has the internet helped democracy work better in Brighton & Hove?
FREE EVENT: Putting the e in Democracy
Community Base, 6-8.45pm, 18/25 Nov 2010
eDemocracy in Brighton & Hove
Useful links• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edemocracy• Stevenclift.com• Facebook/Lewes Road Community Say No to Tesco http://bit.ly/br6pZP• www.consult.brighton-hove.gov.uk• http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/bh• www.scip.org.uk/sciplist• http://brightonpoliticsblogger.wordpress.com/• http://newsfrombrighton.co.uk/brighton-politics/the-whos-who-of-brightons-political-
twitterati/• www.getinvolvedinthecity.org.uk/news-and-events/take-part-free-events/• www.slideshare.net/scipmark/100922-edemocracy-in-brighton-and-hove
Mark Walker, www.scip.org.uk www.twitter.com/scipmark
[email protected] 01273 234049