Laura Stein's ISDT10 talk.

1. Participation, Power& Online Platforms Laura Stein Lstein@mail.utexas.edu

2. Overview Alternative media scholarship/practice Conceptual tools to examine the conditions of participation Hopes/concerns for the future

3. Alternative Media (Downing) Offers alternative to mainstream media Challenges existing power structures Represents/empowers marginalized groups Makes horizontal linkages between communities of interest Provides an alternative public forum

4. Alternative Dimensions Content Aesthetic Organization Relationship to Audience/Users Noam Chomsky Reads the New York Times Paper Tiger Reads Paper Tiger TV

5. Paper Tiger Reads Paper Tiger Television

6. Participatory Culture Jenkins- digital media consumers actively participate in the creation and circulation of new content (though under unclear rules and conditions of differential power) Benkler- radically decentralized, collaborative and nonproprietary ways of organizing production (commons-based peer production) Participation fosters empowerment & democracy

7. Critical Questions: Do specific instances of participation challenge or reinforce existing power structures? Are opportunities to participate equitably distributed? What are the terms and conditions of participation? Do governments and markets support or suppress participation?

9. Exercise (with 5 groups) Pick a platform and collectively examine its platform policies [Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, Wikipedia, or Indymedia Portugal]. Where do these platform policies fall on the ladder of citizen participation? Why? Briefly report your findings back to the larger group

10. Selected Steps on the Ladder Citizen control- puts citizens in full charge of policy and management Delegated power- gives citizens majority of decision-making power Partnership- lets people negotiate and engage in trade-offs with power-holders Placation- people can advise, but power-holders retain right to judge legitimacy/feasibility of advice Consultation- people can hear and be heard, but can’t insure they’re listened to Informing- people may get necessary information, but the process is one-way with no opportunity for feedback or negotiation