GEOGRAPHY, TOOLS, AND

NETWORKS OF CIVIC TECH

GEOGRAPHY

MAP 1

MAP 2

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DIGITAL DIVIDES (PLURAL)

Overall, Internet access growing Different people use different hardware Different people

go to different places on the Internet

Communities just as complex onlineas off

GEOGRAPHICALLY-BASED

ONLINE ARENAS:

WHERE THE TWO MAPS OVERLAP

TOOLS

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WHAT ONLINE TOOLS CAN DO: HELP CITIZENS GATHER DATA

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WHAT ONLINE TOOLS CAN DO: HELP PEOPLE SOLVE PROBLEMS

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WHAT ONLINE TOOLS CAN DO: HELP PEOPLE GENERATE AND RANK IDEAS

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WHAT ONLINE TOOLS CAN DO: HELP PEOPLE VISUALIZE OPTIONS

NETWORKS

A CULTURE CLASH (OR CHASM?)

BETWEEN THE CIVIC TECH AND

DELIBERATIVE ENGAGEMENT NETWORKS

IRONY: THE TWO

COMMUNITIES

DEVELOPED IN SIMILAR

WAYS

  Civic tech 

Deliberative engagement  

Engagement is based on:

Transactions Relationships 

Government is: 

An obstacle to problem-solving 

A problem-solver

Increasing trust in government is dependent on: 

Increasing government efficiency

Gathering input from citizens and acting on it

Assumes that people will:

Happily share their data Happily share their stories 

Uses the language of:  

Science Community 

Stereotype: 

‘Geek chic’ ‘Touchy-feely’

Every innovation must be: 

A stand-alone product A stand-alone process  

Impacts are limited because:

Products are isolated  

Processes are temporary

HOW WILL ALL THIS PLAY OUT?

SIX MODELS FOR THE INTERNET AND POLITICS (FUNG, GILMAN, SHKABATUR):

1. THE MUSCULAR PUBLIC SPHERE

2. “HERE COMES EVERYBODY”

3. DIRECT DIGITAL DEMOCRACY

4. TRUTH-BASED ADVOCACY

5. CONSTITUENT MOBILIZATION

6. SOCIAL MONITORING

- ABHI NEMANI, FORMERLY OF CODE FOR

AMERICA, NOW CHIEF DATA OFFICER FOR LOS

ANGELES

THICK PARTICIPATION: INFORMED, DELIBERATIVE, EMOTIONAL, FULL OF

CHOICES FOR GROUPS TO MAKE

THIN PARTICIPATION: FAST, EASY, VIRAL, FUN, FULL OF CHOICES FOR INDIVIDUALS

TO MAKE

Text, Talk, and Act

part of the National Dialogue on Mental Health

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What is Creating Community Solutions?

• Effort to organize hundreds of community conversations and action plans

• Ten lead sites• Wide variety of other events: small discussions, online dialogues, large planning processes

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Developing “Text, Talk, and Act”

• HS pilot: Rex Putnam High School, Milwaukie, Oregon

• College pilot: Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island

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How does it work?• Get together with 4-5 other

people• Text “START” to 89800• Follow the prompts• If you get stuck, text “NEXT”

to 89800• Allow about an hour for the

discussion

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Photos tweeted by participants

• #TextTalkAct Selfies

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Questions or comments?