Ethan Zuckerman - Teaching New Civics In a Digital World
As the Internet shifts our concept of civic life, how can we equip citizens (especially youth) to handle digital rhetorics and publics?
About This Speaker
Ethan Zuckerman is director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, and a principal research scientist at MIT's Media Lab. He is the Keynote Speaker for the 2013 Digital Media & Learning Conference: "Democratic Futures: Mobilizing Voices, and Remixing Youth Participation." His research focuses on the distribution of attention in mainstream and new media, the use of technology for international development, and the use of new media technologies by activists. With Rebecca MacKinnon, Ethan co-founded international blogging community Global Voices. Through Global Voices and through the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, where he served as a researcher and fellow for eight years, Ethan is active in efforts to promote freedom of expression and fight censorship in online spaces. You can follow his thoughts at EthanZuckerman.com and on Twitter at @EthanZ.
Resources
Ethan's DMLcentral post, "Is Civics in Crisis? Or Just Changing Its Shape?"
Video interview with Ethan on teaching new civics
"It's not enough to be an informed citizen; it's not enough to vote. You need to figure out how to make these arguments in a digital, public sphere. You need to figure out how to advocate...Really deep engagement is the real challenge to us as citizens: not just to engage in persuasive words, but to engage in the real debate in the participatory, public sphere." - Ethan
__________
thin vs thick and effective vs symbolic
thin - easy to do, doesn't take much time, doesn't impose (like on fb, voting)
thick - getting involved over a period of time, plays on your ability of a creative actor, how do you want to build a movement (dream activisim) - coming out of undocumented, but does it created efficacy
so are there thin and ineffectual
are there thin and effectual (perhaps voting)
what we're getting at is thick and effectful/impactful
thin but not impactful - share kony get it up to 180 mill views;
thick but not impactful - people in kony community - thick for them, low impact;
but it depends on the purpose -
thick and not impactful - occupy movement
civics and guilt often come together
