citilab presentation october 2009 - digital cities
TRANSCRIPT
The Wisdom of Crowds:Developing Digital CitiesDave HarteBirmingham City UniversityDigital [email protected]://daveharte.com@daveharte
Birmingham Second Life Island
Making Birmingham a digital city for everyone.
Digital Cities - some ingredients
First, some theory
Ingredient 1: A desire to talk about things
Ingredient 2: A social culture
Ingredient 3: Data
Policy Matters
Ingredient 4: Some ‘big stuff’ to get angry about
Some theory:We know nothing about the future of technology
http://davidszondy.com/future/futurepast.htm
McLuhan: Users shape technology use
Future users:Here’s what 4 year olds know - a screen that ships without a mouse ships broken
Clay Shirky
Clay Shirky Cognitive Surplus
“Desperate Housewives essentially functioned as a kind of cognitive heat sink, dissipating thinking that might otherwise have built up and caused society to overheat”
Clay Shirky – Cognitive Surplus
“Someone working alone, with really cheap tools, has a reasonable hope of carving out enough of the cognitive surplus, enough of the desire to participate, enough of the collective goodwill of the citizens, to create a resource you couldn't have imagined existing even five years ago.”
Some theory
Let’s not predict technology use
Users are a resource
Little bits of time to create amazing things
Ingredient 1
A DESIRE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS
Thriving blogging scene
Ingredient 2
A SOCIAL CULTURE
WXWM - impromptu, self-organising
Social Media Surgeries
http://bevocal.org.uk
• BeVocal gives gentle introductions to using data in new ways
• Aimed at enhancing understanding of new ways to use internet tools
Ingredient 3
DATA
Timely Information
“RAW DATA NOW”
My raw data
Hacking the City
Timely Information for Citizens
Pilot project ‘Birmingham Open City’
National & International profile for local stuff
Some Policy - UK
Creative BritainWe’re better than anyone else, well done.
Ofcom Public Service Broadcasting reviewPeople value quality. Quality public broadcasting can be online.
Power of InformationPublic sector meets active citizenshipPush to free up data
The Policy Context
Digital BritainLet’s get the pipes in place
Policy recognising shift:that’s helpful
Digital Inclusion matters“Increased awareness would lead to more people engaging in digital participation. Building awareness of what it is possible to do quickly and easily online could encourage greater participation.”
(Ofcom Citizen Participation research)
Ingredient 4
SOME ‘BIG STUFF’ TO GET ANGRY ABOUT
HACKING THE CITY
A digital opportunity:
Cognitive surplus + Raw Data = new and exciting area of the digital economy
It’s a business opportunity
But, there’s going to be a fight
Commerce
Economic Development
Professionals
High margins
Professional Pride
Corporate culture
Networking culture
Charity
Cultural Development
Amateur
Free
Civic Pride
Grassroots culture
Social Culture
A new digital workforce
In small companiesIn public sectorIn bedrooms
NetworkedShowing off
Creating the conditions for a Digital City
It is all about the crowd (users, workers, brokers)
pic: peteashton
Creating the conditions for a Digital City
In-fighting, bickering - it’s all good fun
pic: peteashton
Summary
Ingredient 1: A desire to talk about things
Ingredient 2: A social culture
Ingredient 3: Data
Ingredient 4: Some ‘big stuff’ to get angry about
= a messy, exciting digital city
Thank you