Hans Rosling, professor of global health at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, recently stated that despite the wide availability of data in the world, there is a significant gap in local access to this knowledge. In this panel, experts in media development and mobile technology will discuss how information is shared in low-bandwidth environments. The panel will include case studies, interactive discussion about the sharing of news and information in areas of limited web connectivity, and tips on how to deal with issues of security, trust and safety. Examples include creative, interactive radio broadcasts; training and engagement of citizen journalists via SMS; and the challenges of maintaining data integrity in regions of high risk reporting. The session will end with a discussion of trending issues related to connectivity, such as offline participation in social media and the emergence of sensor networks.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP25082
5. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
MiamiBroadband data for major US urban areas
Detroit/Wayne County
@mobiletrevor
Image: courtesy Investigative Reporting Workshop
Wednesday, March 12, 14
6. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
New OrleansBroadband data for major US urban areas
Miami
@mobiletrevor
Image: courtesy Investigative Reporting Workshop
Wednesday, March 12, 14
7. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
New OrleansBroadband data for major US urban areas
New Orleans
@mobiletrevor
Image: courtesy Investigative Reporting Workshop
Wednesday, March 12, 14
8. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Why is this important?
@mobiletrevor
Image: via Wikimedia Commons, Federal Highway Administration
- MUTCD, Public Domain
Wednesday, March 12, 14
9. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Why is this important?
@mobiletrevor
Image: Dan McKay, Flickr, "Dano" under CC License.
www.flickr.com/photos/mukluk/241256203
Wednesday, March 12, 14
10. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Why is this important?
“We need a malaria epidemic in the blogging community!”
– Bill Gates, Wired, April 2013
@mobiletrevor
Wednesday, March 12, 14
11. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Why is this important?
“Either that or we need people who have seen the malaria epidemic to start
blogging. Seriously, we have two communities that don’t intersect with each other.”
– Bill Gates, Wired, April 2013
@mobiletrevor
Wednesday, March 12, 14
12. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Why is this important?
Image: courtesy Social Flow. www.socialflow.com
@mobiletrevor
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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We focused on
• Training and Strategy
• Tools for enhancing civic participation
• Help people access information and economic opportunities
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Other times they use radio
The National Movement of Radio Stations in
Guatemala - with 168 radio stations and 1600
volunteers - uses cellphones to air local
broadcasts in their own indigenous languages.
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
24. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
The digital divide
The concept of the digital divide has its origins in the idea of information “haves”
and information “have-nots.” This is the belief that as we move into an information
society, information becomes more significant in people’s lives and a lack of access
can disadvantage citizens as much as any other resource.
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
25. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
What can cause this digital divide?
• New technologies are often limited in their
availability and local communities may develop
their own solutions to gain access to them
• The “digital divide” metaphor focuses on treating
people as passive recipients rather than active
users engaging with technology
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
26. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
What is access?
Digital access was originally defined as the
possession of physical access to the equipment
required for an internet connection: a cable
connection of some description (usually a telephone
line) and the appropriate terminal devices (usually a
modem and computer).
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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What is access?
• The cost of purchasing a computer and subscribing to an internet connection has
meant universal access has not been achieved as quickly
• Achieving physical access does not equate to crossing all the boundaries of the
digital divide
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
31. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Build community
• Bringing citizens online as part of a community, rather than individuals, is a more
effective and sustainable method of enabling individuals to cross the digital divide
and stay across the divide
• An individual is more likely to cross the divide and stay across as part of a
community
• The community can offer support, and brings with it social needs and purposes
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Develop a bottom-up approach
Developing a bottom-up networked community project based within an existing
community of locality, where there is already a significant level of social interaction,
is more likely to succeed than implementing a top-down networked community
project into an arbitrarily selected community.
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Enhance participation
Appropriate social software can enhance participation within, and the sustainability
and evolution of, a networked community.
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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And now how do they work?
• Regional citizen information websites in Latin America
• Run by volunteers who share information and tools, and
own the websites within each country
• Contributors share and discuss information in various
languages, including local indigenous languages
• Contributions can be anonymous
• Anyone can contribute via website, email and cellphone
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Strategy is important
• Audience to reach or connect to?
• With what goal or objective?
• How do you reach that audience to achieve your objective?
• What technology or tools will you use?
• What to consider a success? Short-term/long-term
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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How it works
We used it this year for an election in Nebaj,
Guatemala.
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
43. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Localized citizen journalism websites
• Contributions are anonymous by default
• Localized language support
• Built-in messaging between contributors
• Editorial flow
• Customized modules
• Multi-website flow
• Integration with HC Messaging CMSwww.hablaguate.com
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Simple Blog
• Efficient, lightweight blogging platform that natively
comes with extensive language support
• Designed for developing & low bandwidth countries
• Tightly integrated with Facebook and Twitter
• Full support for collaborative translations of all
content
www.simpleblog.sundelof.com
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
45. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Simple Election
• Available in Kaqchikel, Spanish and English
• Integrates with YouTube to allow submission of
videos in your native language
• Native support for text message submissions
www.github.com/eriksundelof
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
46. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Simple Conference
• Support for Kaqchikel, Spanish and English
• Native support for text messages
• Calendar of Participants and speakers
• Presentations and tracks
• Complete donation flow and registration
payments via Paypalwww.github.com/eriksundelof
@newmaya
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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West Kalimantan
• 160 citizen journalists trained
• 600 subscribers
• 150 high-rank local government officers and
police officers
@FrontlineSMS
Wednesday, March 12, 14
62. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
West Kalimantan
After three days of flooding, a main road became
unusable.
@FrontlineSMS
Wednesday, March 12, 14
63. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
West Kalimantan
After a few text message reports, the
Government fixed it.
@FrontlineSMS
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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West Kalimantan
“Before we were using Mandau to protest the oil
palm company, now we are using cell phones.”
@FrontlineSMS
Wednesday, March 12, 14
68. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Eliza Anyangwe
Guardian Global Development Professionals Network
eliza.anyangwe@theguardian.com
@elizatalks
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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2014: digital first becomes mobile first
In January mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) accounted for 47% of the
Guardian's monthly browsers vs. 39% a year ago. However, on Saturdays and
Sundays mobile devices now account for the majority of unique browsers on the
Guardian sites: 55%.
And even more staggering: mobile devices are an absolute majority every day of the
week when it comes to traffic referred to the Guardian.
@elizatalks
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Events
• The Guardian Open Weekend
• Masterclasses where we teach digital journalism
skills
• Activate London, NY, India... and now Jo’burg
• Roundtable discussions
@elizatalks
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Guardian Weekly
The compact weekly digest of Guardian and
Observer highlights plus articles and features from
the Washington Post and Le Monde.
@elizatalks
Wednesday, March 12, 14
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Food for thought
• The not so distant future: 2016
• Mobile devices outnumber PC devices 4:1
• Time spent on mobile vs. PC 3:1
@elizatalks
Wednesday, March 12, 14
79. Beyond Connectivity #news4all
Thank you
@newmaya
@elizatalks
@mobiletrevor
@FrontlineSMS
Kara Andrade
Eliza Anyangwe
Trevor Knoblich
Sean McDonald
#news4all
Wednesday, March 12, 14