Marcia Stepanek’s The New Digital Divide explained how Google, Facebook, data aggregators, and social networking sites use personalization filters to customize what we see on the Web. In addition Marcia Stepanek raised numerous issues regarding how the Web divides certain races and groups because we stay within our “self imposed comfort zones.” Marcia also suggested that this division was bad for civic engagement within a democracy.
While I agree with most of Marcia’s point regarding how the Web divides us, I do think that it also brings us together to perform acts of civic engagement within a democracy. Marcia made two points about civic engagement toward the end of her article. The first assertion was that “we must stop assuming that civic engagement will occur online on its own,” and the second assertion was that “the Net can be a force for civic engagement.” The assertions she offered made it seem as though we are a society that is loosing a sense of civic engagement, and that we are incapable of creating civic engagement opportunities on the web. In contrast to her views, I find the web to be the perfect forum to unite people of all different races, backgrounds, and cultures to perform civic engagement activities. One specific example of web-related civic engagement would be through community service efforts for Japan. Sony Music Entertainment teamed with Universal Music to create Songs for Japan which is an album sold on itunes, and the proceeds go to the Japan Red Cross to support the disaster relief efforts (http://www.3news.co.nz/Songs-for-Japan-album-goes-straight-to-1/tabid/418/articleID/204458/Default.aspx). Another online community service example is the “Hands for Japan” fundraiser on www.crowdrise.com/handsforjapan which uses social networking sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and Groupon) to raise awareness about Japan’s disaster and to collect money from people all over the world. Ultimately, the list goes on and on. So, I think there is a huge effort for community service activities online, and like Ethan Zuckerman stated, “the Net changes things in the long-term by creating a new public space, one that in most closed societies around the world is not available any other way.” Since the net creates this new public space to unite people from all over the world, I think it amalgamates us rather than segregates us online.
Do you think there is more civic engagement online or offline? Do you think civic engagement (such as community service efforts) unites us more online or offline?
Sadly, I don't think there is real civic engagement going on substantially anywhere. I like how you pose the second question, though, because I feel like civic engagement unites us more offline than it does online because we feel a greater pressure to be civil and courteous in offline interactions than when we can hide behind anonymity online. I know I sound like a cynic here, but I do see hope in the situation. It starts with me. I need to get out of my comfort zone and engage opposing viewpoints.
ReplyDeleteI think there is more civic engagement going on offline. Although being online allows a person to donate to charities and such easier, I think it's also a cop out. Often, I will see petitions people want me to sign or Facebook groups that host events for a public gathering like, "Don't buy gas on April 15th," but I think this is making people less engaged. You can be "attending" the group online and have a sort of satisfaction but never even go to the event or participate. I think the Internet is giving a sense of false fulfillment/participation.
ReplyDeleteI do see your point on how consumers used the web to fundraise money for Japan, and similarly, how many people used the web to magnify their efforts globally. However, I do have to say that offline civic engagement beats what is done online. Going off of Nathaniel's point, I also think that in offline initiatives may even make us feel like we are already participating in the cause, even though we may not have even moved a finger to create actual change. Although the web does facilitate many initiatives, like Sony's, it also gives consumers a way to feel they have contributed to society even though they may haven not.
ReplyDeleteI think that on a certain scale the web does bring people together, i.e. it helps coordinate groups together that have interests that converge. But I think that on the other hand, the assemblages it produces are not in anyway very new. Rather it only reinforces existing divisions within a society so that they become stronger. The web's greatest force is the power of exaggeration, our typical social conventions fly out the window when in the virtual realm.
ReplyDeletei think there is more civic engagement online, but it could be superficial. People may want to portray themselves as if they are concerned with certain issues, but may be lazy to actually do anything about it other than clicking on something.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a fair amount of civic engagement that happens online. While some may say that if all you're doing is clicking a button is "lazy," I disagree. For instance, my schedule is often busy with school, athletics, and traveling for competitions almost every other weekend. Without the convenience of the internet it would be much more difficult for me to participate in civic engagement. I view online civic engagement as a tool for those with limited time in their schedules but still care enough to make an effort towards helping their chosen cause.
ReplyDeleteI think that people, in the least, become more aware of civic issues by participating in online communities. Ignorance fuels the flames of hate, but online resources afford us the opportunity to share our ideas, if we are willing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the web is most definitely a hotbed of civil involvement, regardless of what other people may say. The difference however is that the web rarely has defined "sets" of beliefs; we'll never see "The Internet Party" on a ballot. But on the other hand, if you put up a cause, people who agree with it will flock to support it online despite the fact that any two given supporters online might also try to claw each others' eyes out offline due to their differing viewpoints on other topics.
ReplyDeleteThe web is a great place to start civic engagement on single, focused ideas. Broadly speaking (the only thing Stepanek seems to consider "civic engagement"), not so much.
If Boyd and Stepanek's article are any indication, I would say that there's about as much civic engagement happening online as there is happening offline. The fact that we're all plugged into technologies that happen to be very useful tools for civic engagement is great, but the majority of people on Facebook, Twitter, etc. are, as we have discussed in class, somewhat passive; rather than exploring the technology's capabilities and getting involved in things they wouldn't have otherwise, most of us just use SNSs to reinforce what's already there -- pre-existing, offline relationships, tastes and interests, ways of relating, etc. Many of us can be lured into temporarily switching from passive, disengaged citizens to active ones; we'll donate to disaster relief efforts in Haiti or Japan or deliberate over politics during the campaign season. But impactful civic engagement can only happen when individuals decide to make the switch permanent... a choice that will cost them a lot of time, effort, and often, money. So while the efforts of many 'early adopters' to transform SNSs into forums for civic engagement inspire hope, I can't help but think that our political habits -- or lack thereof -- stay pretty much the same whether we're online or off.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with RVL on this one. People are more likely to participate in civil engagement online, but it is also much more likely to be superficial online. It is so easy to just click a button, as she says. Another degree of superficiality can be added online: because it is a place where people create their identity, they may only participate in surface-level civic engagement so they appear as if they are active.
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