Zuckerman on the democratic limits and possibilities of the internet
via Heather Horst and DML Central
The media scholar and internet activist Ethan Zuckerman recently gave a lecture at Flinders University (Australia) titled “The Emergence of Digital Civics”. Here’s a quote to mull over:
There’s good evidence that the internet helps us:
- Change the media agenda by channeling attention towards an issue or cause
- Brainstorm a wide range of possible tactics and theories of change
- Synchronize people around one or more campaigns, contributing attention, money and other forms of engagement
Thus far, there’s less evidence that the internet helps with:
- Creating spaces for reasoned deliberation, particularly across ideological lines
- Channeling attention to move levers of power
- Sustaining projects beyond their inception
- Choosing between competing demands for our attention – i.e., is capturing Kony more worthy of our attention that fighting for freedom of speech in Ethiopia, or was it simply better marketed.
- Ensuring that resources are allocated fairly
