community media

Digital equality. Digital excellence. Community technology. Digital literacy. Community media. The terminology has changed. The end goal has not.

My personal historical view of digital equality and its terminology:

1996-1997
As a grad student at the University of Toledo, I helped create the Coalition to Access Technology and Networking in Toledo. We had asked community organization what they were struggling with. Their answer - technology. The computer labs we supported were focused upon computer access and training with one or two Internet enabled computers. And there began work I would continue to this day.

2000-2006
When I was executive director of the Ohio Community Computing Network, the use of "community computing center" was dated. OCCN's mission statement: "Ohio Community Computing Network is committed to creating a society in which everyone has equal opportunity to gain access to computer and network technology for life-long learning and personal and community empowerment."  I was told (more than once) that there would soon be no need for public access computer labs since everyone would have a home computer. My response - There would always be group of folks left out and even those with computers would need trainings helping them figure out what to do with those computers.

2005-2006
While the board president of CTCNet (Community Technology Centers Network), I advocated for defining membership as community technology (without the centers) to broaden who we served since we were seeing stand alone community technology centers close and organizations open computer labs to support their particular missions. Perspective article published in Community Technology Review Spring/Summer 2005. 

2006
My blog was called Diary of a Community Technology Advocate with a byline of "Broadband, Media, Internet, Community Technology".  The OCCN Board and I had become convinced we had to broaden our focus to include broadband access.

2008
Began using Twitter, defining myself as a digital equity activist.

 
2009
On the ShinyDoor website, stated my vision for "a world in which all members of society have the tools and the resources to use the Internet for the betterment of themselves and their communities."

2009
Joined the Alliance for Community Media believing community media could become the umbrella for all programs encouraging online content creation and distribution.

2009
Assisted OneCommunity with a grant proposal for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) funds. In the proposal we referred to community technology practitioners, mostly due to the lead of that project, Bill Callahan, and I recognizing community technology practitioners have existed for over a decade and we should make use of their experience.

2010
Assisted the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Center (GPUAC) submit BTOP proposals for a Public Computing Center and Sustainable Broadband Adoption. The federal government defines public computing centers as public access Internet computer labs. They define broadband adoption as computer and internet training, possibly including programs to get computers into the home.

2010
Working with Central Ohio organizations drafting a call for action to define the information needs of residents, how residents currently receive and share information and then fill in the gaps. The draft calls for an information needs assessment and notes we expect some of the solutions to include: nonprofit journalism, experimentation with online journalism monetization models, partnerships with existing information providers, public access computer centers, digital communication trainings and citizen journalism trainings.

The terminology has come full circle. The end goal is the same. The why and the how have changed. Whereas the focus used to be on workforce development and the underserved populations of low income, disabled and senior citizens, we now throw into the mix media creation and sharing, citizen journalism and civic engagement. I'm sure as technology changes and how we use that technology changes, we'll adjust again. I am also certain there will always be a need for digital equality efforts as there is likely to always be folks left out of the equation.

Seems to me, community media and social media are natural partners.

When I asked for a 140 character definition between community media and social media on Facebook, my Friends (from a variety of backgrounds and experiences) engaged in a spirited discussion. As a group, the following was created:

Social media = interactive, participatory digital media.
Community Media = tools, training & transmission owned & operated by/with citizenry.

Ben Sheldon of the CTC VISTA Project stated, "Community Media emphasizes the *purpose* behind the media: to provide people the opportunity for self-realization through free expression. Social Media emphasizes the *media* in a shared process: producing it, distributing it, consuming it, the tools involved, etc. Community Media doesn't have to be Social Media (attending a desktop publishing class at a CTC isn't very group-oriented), just like social media may not be community media (Comcast's Twitter account). Social Media is a production strategy. Community Media is the expression of a free and democratic society."

I am certain community media folks and social media folks need each other.

Why Community Media Centers Need Social Media Folks
A good number of community media centers were originally created as public access centers. These centers are in the midst of a transition. Due to state cable franchising, many are seeing their funding disappear (because the funding was reliant upon local cable franchising agreements). They are also adjusting to our culture's reduced reliance upon TV and increased dependence upon the Internet. According to the April 2009 report From Luxury to Necessity - And Back Again released by the Pew Research Center, American's view of the television as a necessary appliance decreased by 12% points since 2006 while our view of broadband as a necessary appliance increased by 2% points.

Thanks to .ORG, the Public Interest Registry, I attended the Webby's June 9 and 10. They were a sponsor of this year's Webby's and I am an Advisory Council Member for .ORG. It was, of course, very inspiring to see all the amazing videos and websites. The hosts were fabulous (Judah Friedlander and Seth Meyes). The June 9 After Party was interactive. It included Rhoda Grossman drawing digitally (yep, that's my digital caricature on the left) and Adobe's Digital PhotoBooth (pic on the right). I got to get all dressed up two days in a row and hang out with people I like and admire. Not a bad gig.

There was a definite feel to the event of young, hip, creative, nontraditional. I wouldn't go so far as to say anti-corporate because some of the winners were coprorations. It was more a vibe of "we do things our way". No shortage of creativity as evidenced by the pix that came out of the Digital PhotoBooth. What struck me as a bit disturbing was the apparant need to be "elite". On one hand the attendees want to show that anyone with a computer, creativity and some luck can make a huge splash online. At the same time, there appeared to be a 'cool kids only hang out with cool kids' kind of syndrome being developed.

Imagine you were told the way you have been doing business is obsolete. Who told you this? Mostly government officials. (Yes, I know the government is always on the cutting edge of technology.) How would you respond? You would probably respond similarly to the 5/10/whatever steps of grief/anger. That is pretty much what has happened to Community Media Centers, those places where community folks learned to shoot, edit and produce video. Those places where community organizations, religious organizations and local governments post their events and produce their shows. They have been told they are no longer needed now that the Internet can stream video. (Often referred to as the YouTube phenomenon). They have been told this because the government officials (and those who would restrict future funding) do not understand that distributing the locally produced content on cable is only one piece of the public benefit provided by Community Media Centers.

After going through their multiple steps of grief/anger, community media folks are planning for their future. As a community, they are discussing how to best be of benefit to the individuals in their regions who need them. They are discussing how to post locally created content online, how doing so changes the structure they have been familiar with.

I was honored to engage in these discussions at the Central States Alliance for Community Media Regional Conference & Trade Show where they had asked me to speak on a couple of panels. I love spending time with folks who have dedicated themselves to their cause. And these folks very much have.

Some in community media are very uncomfortable with the idea of becoming an online creation and distribution hub for community media. Others have already started down the path.

During my sessions we discussed the following: