Crowdsourcing and Digital Democracy

Crowdsourcing....what is it?  Daren C. Brabham defines it as "an online, distributed problem-solving and production model that has emerged in recent years". Crowdsourcing is not always a proper technique, but many times it is.  Brabham also discusses James Surowiecki's book "The Wisdom of Crowds" and his statement that "under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them".  It is essentially brainstorming in mass instead of a small group in-person.  Coca-Cola is a company who remains at the peak of the innovative curve, and crowdsourcing is one of their avenues they use to remain there.  Its "Shaping A Better Future" theme is a part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and asks entrepreneurs to assist them in creating projects for youth employment, education, the environment, and health.  They also take suggestions via social media to market their products.  I think another prime example of crowdsourcing properly being used is when Ford loaned out Fiestas to applicants with a massive social media following and sent them out on community projects nationwide to market the car as well as implement innovative ideas shared with the "creative communities of participation" (Allocca, TEDTalk).  It was tremendously successful. An example of when crowdsourcing was not the proper technique was when Walmart was promoting its "Energy Sheets" and offered on their Facebook page to send the Rapper Pitbull to the store location with the most likes in its online poll.  A group was formed out of mischief and humor to counter the campaign that actually won the vote to send the rapper to Alaska.  This was a market failure for Walmart.

Crowdsourcing is usually extremely effective when the organization establishes a clear, well-orchestrated campaign that gives their target audience a strong incentive and tangible benefit to participate.  An example is when Lay's ran a contest called "Do Us A Flavor" and asked people to create their newest flavor.  A professional judging panel narrowed it down to three flavors (so the crazy ones were weeded out) and the Facebook audience voted.  The winner received $1 million or 1% of the net sales in 2013.  As far as viral videos, the ones that I have watched have mostly been ones that make me laugh.  My husband and I love videos of toddlers doing the crazy things that ours does.  On the other hand, many organizations are using crowdsourcing to solve a problem and then create a video that hopefully goes viral.  Volkswagen did this in 2011 when they asked people to submit innovative vehicle ideas.  The winner was the Hover car and it went viral immediately, which attracted worldwide attention and profitability.  As long as the strategy for crowdsourcing involves a clear vision and a way to target participants with the proper knowledge to invest their input, the outcome should be substantial and effective.

Another facet to "living through the largest increase in human expressive capability in history" (Clay Shirky) is digital democracy and "leading politics back to being the power of ideas instead of the cult of personality.  Digital technology is the best way to communicate ideas, and democracy is the best means of realizing those ideas.  America will be better off because political discussion will be driven more by the electorate; and when the electorate is engaged, it becomes more participatory.  That's good for democracy" (David Winston).  As an optimist, some of the changes that digital communications will incur are empowering individuals to deliver meaningful content, and political conversations becoming constant and in real time consistent with news coverage.  Politicians are going to need to make sure their messages are clear, pertinent, persuasive, personalized, and transparent because "people are demanding more and more interactivity in their communications" (Winston).  The Digital Age is all about communications, content, collaboration and community, and those setting the political agenda will need to hop on the digital train to even be able to play in the ballgame, much less actually win it.  "In this medium, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly are all now the same freedom" (Shirky).  Wow!  Let that soak in.  Part of our civic duty is to make sure that the Internet is actually "leveling the playing field and broadening the diversity of voices being heard instead of reinforcing the socioeconomic divisions that exist and allowing elite viewpoints to dominate online content" (Yasmin Anwar).

In my previous blog I discussed citizen journalism.  Paul Lewis, in his TEDTalk video considers citizen/collaborative journalism "crowdsourcing the news".  This is the medium that allows ordinary people to hold powerful organizations and those is leadership/political positions accountable.  He gave two powerful examples of this tenant actually being upheld.  The first was the case of Ian Tomlinson, a journalist simply trying to find his way home during a protest, who was killed indignantly by police.  Due to the Internet and social media, Paul Lewis was able to proficiently investigate, get the facts straight, verify the information, and have the proper authorities held accountable.  He did this mainly via Twitter because tweets "have an uncanny ability to reach their proper destination.  Once you let go of a piece of information it travels like the wind".  Kevin
Allocca is the Trends Manager at YouTube, and says the way for information and videos to go viral is to reach the tastemakers (i.e. Jimmy Kimmel tweeting the double rainbow video), reaching creative communities of participation (i.e. the Rebecca Black "Friday" video that sparked remixes galore), and unexpectedness (i.e. Casey Neistat holding the city accountable for unfairly issuing him a ticket for not riding in the bike lane).  We need to implement these factors in crowdsourcing as well as establishing digital democracy because almost everyone has access to the information and the audience is who defines the popularity.  Paul Lewis challenges us to be an integral force in journalism as we witness, record, and share important life events.  We are to do this honestly and with integrity.

Citizen Journalism and Connectedness

With regards to the digital age and social media, there are many advantages as well as disadvantages.  Citizen journalism is, according to Dictionary.com, "the involvement of non-professionals in reporting news, especially in blogs and other websites".  In my previous blog posting, I gave several examples of citizen journalism that was extremely effective.  Antony and Thomas (2010) in their article consider that the public sphere surrounding the Oscar Grant shooting incident was "citizen journalism at its finest" because witnesses to the shooting posted the incident on YouTube.  This is an example of how traditional media and the public sphere are being reconceptualized to accommodate new media technologies.  Mena Trott gives a negative example of what some might consider citizen journalism in a YouTube video that shows how to unlock a Kryptonite lock with a Bic pen.  She talks about how blogs tell stories and are a record of who you are, your persona.  Two great examples she gives are the website Snowdeal.org where dad, Eric, blogs daily regarding his son that was born extremely premature and on Day 96 brings him home.  Eric is still blogging about Odin and the healthy young boy he is today.  Another example she gave was about a lady named Emma with cancer.  Emma's sister stated that writing her blog and being able to share was empowering for Emma the last few months of her life.  Traditional media does not get inside of a topic like this.  In James Suroweiecki's 2008 TEDTalk, he discusses the 2004 tsunami in Colombo and how "it was a seminal moment when the blogosphere came of age" when citizens recorded it as it was happening and we were able to see what the experience was like for them.  Mainstream media does not provide this viewpoint.

 Surowiecki states, "Under the right conditions, groups can be remarkably intelligent.  Groups are only smart when the people in them are independent."  The danger of online crowds is they drive attention to the things the network values and makes independent thinking more difficult.  This becomes evident the more tightly linked we become to each other.  An ant colony can accomplish amazing things together.  However, they lose the ability to survive outside of the colony.  An army ant gone astray will follow another army ant in circles until they die.

 The image to the left is one of the ways I would define connectedness.  It involves physical touching, eye contact, voice inflections, unfiltered verbal communication, effective listening, imperfection, and vulnerability.  Sherry Turkle is a psychologist who discusses how the digital age is reaching a critical point where we are technologically connected but actually alone.  She says, "Our little devices are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are".  Some examples she gives that previously would have never been allowed are texting during corporate board meetings, students texting and shopping online during class, parents texting and emailing during breakfast and dinner while their children complain about not having their full attention, and removing ourselves from grief by texting during a funeral.

The image to the right is how connectedness is defined now.  Although technology has its detrimental effects, it has also afforded us the ability to save time (a valuable commodity).  Technology definitely plays a role in enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of our family schedules and household.  For example, our family uses Apple products so we can stay connected and share our programs/software/apps.  I can use the calendar on my iPhone to keep appointments, baseball practice, school functions, meetings, etc. so I can be reminded of them wherever I am.  If we are not all together, we are able to remain in communication with each other and stay on top of our planning.  We are able to collaborate.  For these reasons, I am thankful that technology disconnects us from the bonds of space and time.  This helps things run more efficiently so we can maximize our quality time together and everyone knows what is coming up and what to expect.  We are able to do more in less time.  My husband and I teach our Sunday School class, I am a Bible study leader with my Mom Time group, both of my older boys play baseball, my middle son takes drum lessons, I am involved in all three schools, and we still make time to sit down for dinner together, have movie and pizza night on Fridays, and spend quality time together.  Does this happen all of the time and every week?  No.  However, this is considered a norm in our family.  This happens through balance and control. My husband works on the phone systems for Mobile Infirmary.  However, when he leaves the office it is time for family life.  He still receives emergency calls from time to time that he has to leave outside of office hours and take care of.  However, it is the exception to the rule.

I enjoy Facebook and staying connected to family members and high school friends.  It has enabled us to schedule reunions and communicate until we see each other.  That is when it is time to put the phones away for a while.  Turkle also says that when we clean our relationships up with technology (editing, deleting, retouching to make things just right), we sacrifice conversation for mere connection and shortchange ourselves.  She says, "A flight from conversation can compromise our capability for self reflection.  Solitude is where you find yourself so you can reach out to other people and form real attachments".  This can then affect who we are as an employee, leader, visionary, family member, or friend.  This is where a solid organizational culture needs to be implemented and maintained that uses technology to connect its employees as well as facilitating person-to-person communication and contact.  Every person wants to be heard, and Facebook and Twitter provide so many automatic listeners that can be perceived as the illusion of companionship and pretend empathy. Our focus needs to be on how technology can positively empower our real lives, bodies, communities, politics, and planet within a healthy balance of reality and control.  A scary fact that Turkle shares is "we are getting used to being alone together".  For subsequent generations, this is fatal.  Conversation is the bedrock of development.

Technology definitely has its place in society and enabling organizations to maximize their potential and communication efforts.  Balance simply needs to be established.  An empowered individual who is able to converse effectively online as well as in person will help build a team of strong individuals who then incorporate to run a successful organization. 

 Let me know some ways your organization and family have established this balance and share the rewards and benefits you have experienced!

Social media and starlings

When the term "social media" is brought up, does it invoke a positive or a negative image in your mind?  The information provided and researched this week in class has broadened my awareness of social media and its capabilities.  It offers much more than communicating with friends from long ago and distant family members.  It transcends far beyond petty, narcissistic comments on Facebook.  Social media opens up a plethora of global possibilities that we can implement to "collaborate a global consciousness and attack some big problems" (Don Tapscott).  

During the Tunisian Revolution, snipers were killing unarmed students in the streets.  Do you know what these kids began doing?  They would hold their cell phone in the air to take a picture of the snipers, use triangulation, and send the pictures immediately to friendly military allies who came in and killed the vicious snipers.  Another example is when Syrians would use Twitter to communicate and form a community that offered make-shift hospitals to actually treat the wounded instead of calling for an ambulance that took them to a hospital and executed them.  During the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, citizens became journalists and tweeted events as they were happening and effectuated an incredible coordinated global response.  Because of this, it was revealed that the reason so many school buildings collapsed was because corrupt officials had taken bribes to allow those buildings to be built to less than code.  Because of the "one child policy" in China, many lost their only child.  This is the perfect example of where a lack of transparency had devastating effects and citizen journalists were able to use social media to hold the government accountable.  In illustrating social media and everything we put into it, Don Tapscott also states, "Humanity is building a machine that enables us to collaborate in new ways.  Openness denotes opportunity and possibilities.  It is about collaboration, transparency (values and integrity build trust), sharing and embracing different talents and knowledge pools (commons), and empowerment.  Decentralization of power leads to freedom and collaboration".  There are so many negative forces inherent in social media.  However, there are also many positive possibilities where we can truly make a difference in the world and help the under-developed countries.


A fun example is when Reddit partnered (in a very loose sense of the word) with Greenpeace to name the whale that symbolized their fight against the Japanese government killing whales.  Reddit developed a Facebook page for the name "Mister Splashy Pants".  Greenpeace did not find it humorous, so Reddit changed the logo to a fighting whale and ended up with 73% of the vote and created so much awareness that the Japanese government called off their whaling mission.  Alexis Ohanian with Reddit said, "if you want to succeed you have to be willing to lose control like Greenpeace did."

The goal for global collaboration is for everyone to be connected to each other and convene their supporters, not control them.  This will effectuate positive global solutions when implemented with integrity.  I assumed that all of the new media is facilitating us to communicate globally.  This, in fact, is not the case.  We tend to gravitate toward domestic news on a large scale.  Ethan Zuckerman is involved in the group Global Voices.  They travel the world with the goal of getting us out of our filter bubbles and getting us interested in other "flocks" and truly conversing globally.  If we look at the image to the left, the reason parts of the world are dark is because they literally have no electricity and therefore receive little to no attention.  A school club in Madagascar that was learning to use computers and the Internet began implementing their new-found knowledge to communicate to the world the violence their country was experiencing.  An organization with a massive volunteer community translating English to Chinese so they can follow international news is Yeeyan.org.  Another goal of Global Voices is to routinize translation so global learning and global conversation can effect global solutions.  They facilitate bridge figures such as Erik Hersman (called the "white African") who works with African and American technology communities.  Dhani Jones is a professional athlete that spends his spare time training with various local sports teams around the world such as rugby and fox hunting in England, playing jai alai in Spain, dragon boat racing in Singapore, muay Thai kick boxing in Thailand, schwingen in Switzerland, sailing in New Zealand, surf life saving in Australia, boxing in Cambodia, and sambo in Russia.  He is able to study each culture and use sport as the "language that allows him to encounter the full width and wonder of each part of the world".  We can each take part in some way whether our language is missions, music, food, art, literature, medicine, etc. 

A company having a social mission is imperative to its overall organizational culture.  In 2013 Microsoft introduced its 4Afrika Initiative to "engage in Africa's economic development to improve its global competitiveness" as explained by Todd Wasserman.  This is extremely exciting considering Microsoft's financial resources and its 10,000 partners across Africa.  If we look at the above image of the world, Africa is mostly dark.  Microsoft is bringing light to Africa.  There are dark parts in the United States, as well, and this is a great starting point for us to lead our children and grandchildren into a global consciousness.  Most of them are more knowledgeable about social media than we are!  Johanna Blakley says, "If you want to understand the global village, find out what they are passionate about".  Don Tapscott implores "maybe this could be an age for our kids of promise fulfilled and of peril unrequited".  Now that's motivating!

Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakKfY5aHmY) is a beautiful video of murmurations of starlings.  You will notice that there is tremendous communication and leadership, but no one particular leader.  It is a collaboration that works beautifully together, including deflecting a predator.  "Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and we need a lot of sunlight in this troubled world" (Don Tapscott).  Social media has definitely had its negative effects.  However, we can see many ways it can improve our global impact and each one of us individually if we choose to be on the right team!  Let me know other examples you know of social media benefiting various people groups or individuals and ideas you may have to help foster global awareness through social media.

 

Is going mobile exciting or debilitating....both Coach, both!

I love in the movie, "Radio", when the coach of Radio's high school football team has taken Radio to dinner and asks which kind of pie he would like.  His response?  "Both Coach, both!"  This is not the case when it comes to the world of mobile.  If we could, it would be nice to relish the advantages and discard the disadvantages.  Let's first talk about the exciting aspects of mobile technology and its possibilities.  In our readings for this week, the most amazing concept that stood out to me is what mobile can do for underdeveloped countries.  In his TED talk video, Jan Chipchase states that almost 800,000 people worldwide cannot read or write.  He travels worldwide observing different cultures and learning how to implement mobile into their societal structure.
In Uganda, "mobile phones bring rudimentary banking services to places where there is no banking infrastructure".  Being able to provide E-Services such as health, education, business, and government will help to improve the quality of life for these people groups.  SMS (short message service) is text messaging through mobile devices and the Web.  The way these E-Services work is a user sends an SMS to a number designated for that particular service with their question/key words, and they receive an SMS response back.  This method is user friendly, available on all phones, has low network requirements so out-of-date phones can still be used, cost is low, and all locations outside of the USA receive messages free.  Some disadvantages to SMS are the illiterate population we discussed are unable to use it (unless they effectively delegate the tasks to others), there are limited input capabilities, and those who are unaware of what services are available are unable to find them and therefore unable to connect with them.

 
The "Digital Divide" is defined as the gap between those with regular, effective access and ability to use digital technologies and those without.  The goal is to be able to provide a higher level of information technologies worldwide, including to undeveloped countries.  The programs being implemented to attain these goals are enabling the mobile phones in the underdeveloped countries with the Mobile Web, training experts to be able to develop and deploy viable E-Services to these populations, and educating them to be able to develop their own services.  That's exciting!

Another exciting opportunity is personalizing ads.  Safeway has a membership program called "Just For You" that monitors the consumption patterns of its customers and sends offers that are customized just for them.  They also have an iPad application.  I, personally, love that I can get coupons digitally now based on my personal needs and goals.  It is extremely convenient to be in a certain part of town and receive a text from a program with which I am a member reminding me of discounts and special offers.  I take advantage of this all the time.  If it bugs me and I won't use it, I delete it.  It's that simple.

Some other advantages of mobile technology are it's personal, convenient, the speed at which ideas go around (this, obviously, can also be a massive disadvantage), the diffusion of innovations will happen more rapidly, and the mobile phone can transcend space by being able to go anywhere and time.  As a mom of three boys, I am extremely thankful for my phone and its contribution in helping me multitask and keeping everyone organized and coordinating our activities.  I am also able to maintain accountability and safety when we are all in different locations.  It gives me a sense of security.  Jan Chipchase also said, "The three most important things people carry across culture, across gender, and across contexts are keys, money, and their mobile phone."  These are considered important for survival and the survival of our loved ones.  In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, these fall into the safety and physiological categories.  Why has this become such a massive market?  People are willing to pay for stuff that has value, and "the stuff you take with you and actually end up using has some kind of spiritual, emotional, or functional value" (Chipchase).  Forward-thinking individuals and organizations with a vision to continually upgrade and increase the quality and usage of mobile phones and how they can be implemented to benefit societies around the globe are the visionaries who most likely will never go broke.  Chipchase states, "If you want a "BIG IDEA" you need to embrace everyone on the planet.  I agree!  As strategic communication professionals, this opens up a plethora of opportunities.  We have unlimited capabilities in this multimedia environment to communicate, which still includes traditional media outlets.  It also opens up vast employment opportunities for professionals trained in multimedia journalism and strategic communications. Yay!

If you were to ask my grandmother why she doesn't like cell phones, you might as well kick your feet up and enjoy the ride!  She would begin by telling you that you will get cancer by using one.  Although there are many health-related studies regarding the usage of mobile devices, her statement is not completely valid.  One of the main points on which I agree with her is texting and driving.  Text-related deaths and vehicle accidents are devastating side effects of mobile usage.  Using an even broader lens, mobile usage has transformed and greatly disturbed the public sphere as we knew it.  When I am on a date with my husband, the last thing I want is for him to be involved in a conversation on his cell phone.  Unfortunately, mobile devices are taking the place of quality time.  Without effort and setting the example, our children and grandchildren will not know what it is like to have face-to-face interaction and be able to effectively communicate emotionally.  There is also a lot of accountability person to person.  It's much easier to transmit difficult messages via text than handling it in person.  This is unfortunate.  In many scenarios such as in restaurants, elevators, on the bus, at a dinner party, at a baby or bridal shower, reception rooms, etc. it comes across as rude many times when someone is on their cell phone and interrupting the peaceful atmosphere.  One contribution to this is that most people speak louder than usual when they are on a cell phone.  Having ring tones interrupt calm modes of thought and tranquility tend to cause irritation in the public sphere.  Something I had not thought of is "forced eavesdropping". When we have no choice in hearing someone else's conversation and hearing too much, it has been reported to be disruptive.  It crosses boundaries.  A phone conversation is usually evident because without being able to use body language, visual gestures are replaced by verbal gestures.  "The flagrant disregard of manners and courtesies is a threat to order."  The advances in technology have far outpaced the shifting social boundaries, and we have not yet caught up to reestablish new boundaries.

 
 I look forward to hearing your thoughts on mobile technology and ideas you have!