‘The Static Age:’ The Challenges of a more Digital Democracy Walter Neary Lakewood City Council
Dec 18, 2014
‘The Static Age:’The Challenges
of a more Digital Democracy
Walter Neary
Lakewood City Council
Aug. 8, 2009
“I can’t see a thing in the video
“I can’t hear a sound on the radio
“In stereo, in the Static Age …
- Green Day, Static Age,2009
Sources of Static
Discourse is changingGathering to hear what’s in the paper
Gathering for the funeral of the paper
Discourse is changingGathering to talk
Gathering to listen
Source: Penny Arcade (apologies for the blurring)
The Challenge of Anonymity
Alright, citizen, get moving….
“The Internet is just this one big cocktail party where everyone is swarming around trying to keep score … People (can be) connected by real things, not just a couple bytes lining up “… What the Internet has allowed is an enormous amount of fake networking to take place…It’s so easy to be seduced by it, because there’s … a scoreboard”
- Seth Godin
The Cycle We Need to End
THE PROBLEM: The Farmworker Story Cycle1. Media discovers scandal2. Public horrified3. Citizens, Media demand action4. Lawmakers promise action5. Attention goes away
1930s
1968
Today
The Effect Close to Home: Tillicum
Community focus, plan: 1980
Community focus, plan: 2009
Grappling for Solutions
Blogging
Solutions: At the Presidency
State gov’t solutions
Solutions: Federal, State blend
Data.gov: 100,000 data feeds
But 2 states involved …
Wiki government: outsiders move IN
Media and readers cooperate
Wiki approach: Pilots, not Permanent
At the threshold:A business model?
Direct2Dell```
Customers help each other
Crowdsourcing ideas
Federal Facebook: Helping People
One step away from customers helping customers
Crowdsourcing ideas
Crowdsourcing ideas
What I didn’t talk about:
hyperlocal news blogs / forums
Me:
@wtneary
www.walterneary.net/blogger.html
electing2blog.blogspot.com
Ideas?