Digital democracy and eGovernance for a knowledge culture:

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Digital democracy and eGovernance for a knowledge
culture
Experiments in design of platforms, instruments
and new media formats Liss Jeffrey,PhD,
eCommons/Agora project director, McLuhan global
research network University of Toronto
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Vital Links for a Knowledge Culture Public
access to NICT (Culture Committee NIT project
1998 - 2001) Access to nicts affordable,
available, usable meaningful participation as
citizens Access necessary, not sufficient,
condition for meaningful democratic participation
Culture is key Knowledge Culture in a network
society undergoing transformation Designing Vital
Links for a Knowledge Culture as a means to
maximize the cultural/ educational potentials of
NICT
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5 Models Ecology of media, key sectors and
democratic forms Relations in flux, institutions
in flux - Direct (Voting, referenda, activism) -
Representative (Many to few to many
interactions) - Participatory (Institutions and
reps consult Community/ citizens) - Deliberative
(Peer to peer Dialogues/Debates) - Tribal??
(Interest Polarizations, swarming) Need to
design media for common ground
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Relevant recent findings 1. McLuhans Global
Village lives Reality of an interdependent world
Citizens use internet for local and global
purposes including participation -- --
experience of glocalization 2. McLuhan Not
everyone gets along in a village, no more so in
the global village! Internet serves benign and
malign intentional/interpretive communities (On
the net you dont have to hate alone!)
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3. Democracys staples civil society, citizen
literacies, platforms and channels for supportive
knowledge culture Informed and engaged citizenry
with meaningful access to diverse, relevant, high
quality information -- participation in
discussion, debate, deliberation, decisions
4. eGovernance Challenges significance of
perception, trust, interpretive communities,
inter-cultural dialogue, conversational media and
need for common ground to counter balance narrow
streaming and divisions
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Ecology of democratic forms Relations in flux,
institutions in flux - Direct (Voting,
referenda, h/activism) Challenges making voices
count, how to be effective, avoiding citizen
chatter - e-voting - mixed results - referenda
- how to make effective - h/activism - how to
move beyond the negative Need for listening
ports (vs opinion polls) / civil rules of
engagement
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Ecology of democratic forms Relations in flux,
institutions in flux - Representative
(Many/few/many interactions) - Digital divide
frustrates representation online (consider legacy
media carefully) - Reps overwhelmed by
interactive hyperactive citizenry - instant
response expected - Role of representatives (and
intermediaries) in question - need new roles Need
for guidelines on responsiveness, accountability,
civil rules and expectations
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Ecology of democratic forms Relations in flux,
institutions in flux - Participatory
(Community/ citizens interact with Reps and
Institutions) - Inclusiveness, access as
meaningful participation -- whose agenda at
work? - Partnerships and pilots - Demonstrate
effectiveness v stage managing - Need for public
space, common ground and ground rules for
expectations of all sides
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Ecology of democratic forms Relations in flux,
institutions in flux - Deliberative
eGovernance -- Peer to peer eDialogues/Debates
Conversation beyond consultation -- towards
responsible self organized network model in
knowledge culture without tribalism - Principle
of Reciprocity Need for public spaces, trust,
event and time-based forums, outcomes, process
set out, guidelines, trained facilitators,
animators, moderators, common ground, clear
expectations, and inclusive process
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Ecology of democratic forms Relations in flux,
institutions in flux -- Tribal?? (Interest
Polarizations) Fundamentalism, Narrowcasting,
filtering, closed/ rogue interpretive /
intentional communities, fractured public space
Need for common ground and inter-cultural
communication platforms - education,
consensus-building tools Support for civil
society initiatives, for media and diasporic
community vital linkages, youth, inclusive
knowledge culture values framework
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Challenges for eGovernance In an interdependent
world, how to maximize the democratic (cultural/
educational/ meaningful access and participation)
potential of ict - Experiment! Designing public
spaces (platforms, eCommons, Agoras, e-dialogue
forums) - Create! Instruments (charters,
guidelines, best and worst practices, how to
manuals, pilot projects, new partnerships) -
Develop! Inclusive Formats for democratic citizen
literacies in Knowledge Culture (configured
hardware, software, groupware, on and offline)
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The byDesign eLab exists not to reinvent the
wheel, but to connect the spokes. - Liss
Jeffrey eCommons/Agora a vital place in virtual
space participant design process PILOT PROJECT
www.ecommons.net www.bydesign-elab.net ljeffrey_at_mc
luhan.org Nothing is inevitable provided we are
prepared to pay attention. - McLuhan
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Web sites

• Canada by Design Building a Knowledge Nation
  using new media and policy (1997-8)
• www.candesign.utoronto.ca
• New media Forum (1998)
• www.newmedia-forum.net
• eCommons/Agora project (2002 version)
• www.ecommons.net