By:  Eileen Wattam, University of Salford, School of Media, Music & Performance

The following seeks to summaries the ways in which People’s Voice Media’s Community Reporters Programme is contributing to community empowerment and is linked with urban and community regeneration.

The summary is based on preliminary findings of a wider PhD research project focused on identifying whether and how social media is linked with a potential for community empowerment and regeneration. The summary draws predominately on eighteen semi-structured interviews with Community Reporters and participant and non-participant observation carried out between March and September 2009. The study is focused on the integration of the Community Reporters Programme within key regeneration areas in Charlestown and Lower Kersal in Salford and East Manchester and can thus be viewed as part of a wider picture of urban and community regeneration.

The Community Reporters Programme is centred on using technology to empower people by enabling participants to express themselves and tell their stories about their lives or about their local area online using a range of social media tools. The programme is benefiting and being benefited by people from a range of different backgrounds including people who may be categorised as digitally excluded within popular and political discourses including the unemployed, asylum seekers, and people affected by homelessness, ill health and disabilities.

Interviews with Community Reporters reveal that the programme is contributing to empowerment through the development of psychological and social power at the individual level along with the potential for enhancing personal economic power. Evidence of the contribution to the interlinked areas of psychological and social power at the individual level include community reporters referring to an association between participation in the programme and; increased self confidence and self worth and a sense of importance and value within the community; overcoming periods of isolation and depression through building a sense of connectedness with people and the local community; enhanced communication skills, making friends and an improving social life, forging links and connections with people within the community.

The programme also has a role in economic empowerment and in particular there is evidence that it has contributed to people rehabilitating their lives for employment, self employment and further education in the creative industries after a period of ill health or personal crisis. The development of political power i.e. the power to voice opinions, to influence decision making and engage in collective efforts to bring about change is interpreted as lying at the heart of community empowerment and its relationship with regeneration.  Some Community Reporters referred to an enhanced capacity to express their viewpoints and Community Reporters also contribute to the potential development of political power through giving a voice to and promoting local community groups and events.

Ways in which the programme is linked to regeneration include;

• Community reporters working together and present views and opinions on local environments, services and regeneration programmes
• use of the community reporting approach to promote community groups and initiatives and counter negative mainstream media reports of areas through promoting the positive aspects of communities.
• Meeting with and interviewing local politicians was also an area identified as empowering.

The views of some of the Community Reporters, however, suggest that the potential of the programme for political empowerment is an area which is not as yet being optimised. Preliminary findings suggest that the role of social media in contributing to community empowerment through the Community Reporters Programme is shaped by an approach to digital inclusion which moves beyond simple provision of access and basic skills by fostering a context within which cultural and social forms of technological capital (i.e. the development of technological knowledge and skills and networks of technological contacts and sources of support), can thrive and be constantly developed.

The Social Media Centres, distribution channels, online mail out systems; training and ‘drop-in’ sessions and the associated support of staff and volunteers and the non-traditional, flexible approach to learning and opportunities for peer learning all play a vital role in developing such forms of capital and in engagement. Integrating opportunities to; volunteer for assignments, discuss and be exposed to a range of technologies informally, borrow equipment and attend social events are all associated with these forms of capital and with sustained engagement.

The role of social media is also, the findings suggest, shaped by interpretations of the value and meaning of social media at an individual and collective level and the changing nature of the technologies involved themselves. Social Media for example in this case is projected as valuable for ‘community’ and ‘community reporting’ and thus attracts people who may identify with this meaning which has been assigned to the use of social media.

The identity of ‘a community reporter’ and the badge which accompanies was, for example, linked to feelings of empowerment. Many participants also have existing interests and interpretations of how social media may be useful in their lives and within society and thus the value of social media for community empowerment is ultimately shaped by the personal and community orientated goals and motivations of participants. The increasing accessibility of the technologies involved themselves also influences value in this context in terms of increasing portability, affordability and usability. The actual process of being able to go into communities and talk to people with the technology is, for example, a key aspect of empowerment in this context. The opportunity to reach a global audience and number of people viewing content is also associated with feelings of empowerment.

UK Online,  People’s Voice Media, Talk About Local and Community Media Association  were successful in winning a bid to deliver a new project helping four coastal towns get online and build their own online communities. The Seaside Voices Roadshow project will see four lead UK online centres develop their own marketing campaigns and roadshow activities to engage local people in technology, and support them to create their own websites to share local stories, experiences and information. The idea is to create local community partnerships, facilitate inter-generational learning and build a social media legacy that can continue to benefit the towns involved. The project – which runs from December to March – will be delivered in partnership with Talk About Local, People’s Voice Media, and the Community Media Association, who will provide expertise and support in the use of social media. The project will also be supported locally by Post Offices.

Given that we as a species have only been widely using the internet for about ten years, it’s quite understandable that we’re still finding our feet. It’s ambitious in the least to expect to fully understand how to run, legislate and control such an endlessly changing thing which is so unlike anything we’ve been in charge of before. It’s because of this that the pursuit of making and enforcing laws on internet use is still a very confusing, sometimes fruitless and often contradictory one.

Case in point is the lawsuit just handed to a UK pub landlord over a fine he’s faced with to the princely sum of £8000. The pub, which offered free Wi-Fi courtesy of The Cloud network, has been handed the fine after one nameless user was caught downloading pirated digital media.

The case has been brought about by the copyright holder itself (whoever that may be), and as such is the first of its kind in the UK. That said, it seems strange that the landlord has been landed with the fine, given that the Digital Economy Bill, announced only last week, declared Wi-Fi hotspots as “public communications services”, and therefore any responsibility when it comes to misuse should sit with the users, not the service providers. Problem is, there’s legally no need for these providers to keep tabs on who’s using it, and so Mr Landlord looks set to swallow the £8000 bill.

Right or wrong, it seems that – until a proper system for catching internet pirates is put in place – we’ll be seeing cases like this (where unlucky randoms are prosecuted merely to be made examples of) for some time to come

Shouldn’t the Digital Economy Bill sort out this type of mess!!!!  I think not, it will be the first of many in 2010

http://www.t3.com/news/pub-landlord-fined-%C2%A38000-over-customer’s-illegal-wi-fi-download?=42551

The government’s proposed £6 annual broadband levy would be charged per phone line rather than per household according to leaked government documents seen by The Times.

The Digital Economy bill has sparked a wave of protest among consumers and rights groups.

Soon after the bill began its journey through Parliament on 19 November, many expressed worries about parts of it. The bill suggests the use of technical measures to tackle illegal file-sharing that could involve suspending the accounts of persistent pirates. Critics fear this and other powers the bill reserves could damage the UK’s growing digital economy. The Digital Economy Bill is the end result of the consultation and research that went into the creation of the Digital Britain report that was published in June 2009.

As well as trying to tackle illegal file-sharing, the wide-ranging legislation also proposes a shake-up of the radio spectrum and a classification system for video games. Left out is the proposal for a broadband tax to fund next-generation broadband that will be handled in the Finance Bill due in early 2010. The proposals on file-sharing have garnered most criticism.

One of the first responses was the creation of a petition on the Number10.gov.uk website. Set up by Andrew Heaney, TalkTalk’s head of strategy and development, it calls for the abolition of the proposal to disconnect illegal filesharers. By 24 November, the petition had gathered more than 16,000 signatures.

The number of signatures got a boost from Stephen Fry who used micro-blogging site Twitter to direct people to it. Wrote Mr Fry: “Dear Mandy, splendid fellow in many ways, but he is SO WRONG about copyright. Please sign and RT {retweet]”. Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, which campaigns on digital issues, said: “It’s quite a shocking bill. We’re extremely worried about it.” Mr Killock said Section 17 of the Bill was worrying because it gave the Secretary of State “reserve powers” to draft fresh laws to tackle net-based copyright infringement without needing parliamentary approval.

“It could destabilise business and destabilise innovation,” said Mr Killock. “It means entirely trusting to bureaucrats and politicians to get it right.” Mr Killock said membership of the Open Rights Group had jumped by 20% in the run-up to the publication of the Bill. He said protests were being co-ordinated in many places such as Facebook and other social media sites.

He predicted that the protests would soon lead to some form of civil unrest, be that lobbying, a protest march or public meetings. US digital rights group The Electronic Frontier Foundation declared that giving the Secretary of State such powers amounted to the creation of a “pirate finder general” that could enact “draconian” copyright enforcement controls.

The Bill envisages that any proposed change to copyright law should be opened up to public comment before it is made. In a bid to defuse some of the criticisms, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills created a webpage entitled: “Filesharing: some accusations and some answers”. It pointed out that some of the criticisms levelled at the Bill were unfounded. It said it had not been drafted at the behest of the music industries. It added that “technical measures” to slow down or suspend net connections would not be imposed without those accused going through a tribunal system that assesses their case.

The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) also issued a statement saying that it “strongly opposes” the measures introduced to tackle file-sharing. Said ISPA: “Rather than focusing blindly on enforcement, the government should be asking rights holders to reform the licensing framework so that legal content can be distributed online to consumers in a way that they are clearly demanding.” Law firm Eversheds said the copyright plans seem “hurriedly put together and not clearly thought-through” and warned that they could have “unforeseen effects.” It added: “Critics… may have taken some comfort from the fact that the proposals have yet to wend their way through an already congested legislative timetable before the next election, meaning it is questionable whether they will ever become law.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8374732.stm

HULL DIGITAL MET LAST NIGHT in Hessle and was a great opportunity for the local “digiterati” to meet up. An important discussion took place on Digital Inclusion led by Helen Philpott from North East Lincolnshire. Helen showed a video from the Government funded Digital Inclusion Team which is republished below.

A range of useful devices from Solwise to ‘disguise’ your internet connection were also displayed, along with products to get internet connections into difficult places i.e. tunnels.

Are you interested in all things digital? What services do you think are needed in Hedon?

Other relevant material: Be included in new digital age

“Is there a point in discussing the digital inclusion when you don’t have a high-speed connection? Governments and everyone else are talking about how to universalize high-speed access, while Brazil is still moving slowly.

There’s a Brazil that can’t manage to watch Youtube, that doesn’t have a Facebook profile, that can’t follow the happenings of Twitter and wouldn’t even dream of signing up for Google Wave. It signs-on to MSN, but first it needs 9 hours to download the program – if the connection doesn’t fail first. It’s the disconnected Brazil – or 94.2% of our country.” – Source (translation by me)

My Take

Ok, I get it. Everyone in the world needs to be on the same globalized page, with the same opportunities…to receive their bread and circuses. I mean, what’s the point in giving us a shiny toy racecar if what’s under the hood is the equivalent of a Jalopy? Playing aside, what we have been given is a world in which it is increasingly unthinkable to exist without a computer at your side or in your pocket. The former of which I could be charged, tried and convicted. Convicted but not anywhere near convinced that such a world will lead to anything good. Pick your poison then, either be given your opinions through traditional media or experience a loss of privacy through new media (media, which just means ‘medium’ or middle, meaning we’re all kept on the same page).

See this blog from one of our community reporters about life as an asylum seeker.

People’s Voice Media is working to develop a national community reporters network and has  partners in the South East,  South West,  East of England,  and Yorkshire.  This partnership is now starting to develop community reporters across England.

Since January’s World Social Forum in Belém, where alternative media were heralded for bringing progressive and pluralistic information to the fore, online independent initiatives have been flourishing in Brazil. Alongside well-established community media, the Independent Media Center has collectives based throughout major Brazilian cities, Web 2.0 hosts countless blogs, alternative news websites [pt], forums and interfaces, and cyberactivism [pt] is quickly taking shape.

These examples are fortifying themselves through city- and state-level meetings with civil society organisations and academics in preparation for Brazil’s first National Conference of Communication in December. Entitled ‘Communications: a Means for Building Rights and Citizenship in the Digital Era’, it signals a very first step in democratising Brazil’s communications system.

• Full article by Marta Cooper for GlobalVoices

Guarani in Rio de Janeiro

CDI Europe would like to share some great field experience with you. On our first newsletter we have published a story about the Guarani indigenous community in Brazil on how this tribe is using technology as a tool to perpetuate its traditions. It was a breath taking experience for all of us from CDI.

‘Ayvu Ryru’ is what the Guarani indigenous community in Rio de Janeiro named their computers. The meaning – box to keep the language – tells a lot about the Guarani culture which is essentially oral. CDI delivered technology, audio-visual tools and training to the Guarani enabling them to rescue this centuries old heritage and preserve it for future generations and all mankind.
Today the Guarani have learned to use their computers and audiovisual tools, to register and to reproduce their culture for future generations and preserve it.

The room where the computers are kept in the heart of the tribe is carefully guarded by Leandro Mendes, who is being trained by CDI to be an educator. According to Leandro, technology is very important to the community because it is a way to preserve all their cultural practices. “We have learned how to interview people in a way that they can tell a story or give advice to the youth”, he explains. The enthusiasm of the Guarani for their audiovisual tools has led them to create a channel on YouTube to publish the videos they produce and to exchange material with other Guarani communities from all over South America.

Despite the immeasurable value for them, the computer school is now under threat. Without funding, the space is being kept alive solely through the perseverance of the Guarani. Even though Leandro has no salary, he continues to visit the project every day to care for the machines, to allow other people to access them and to practice what he has been learning with CDI’s team.

• Learn how to help the CDI’s projects in Latin America and have a chance to win a return flight to Brazil.

Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of lastminute.com, has been appointed as the new face of “digital inclusion”, an initiative to get people connected, or span the ‘digital divide’, between those who do and those don’t use the internet. It seems that being connected has its advantages, or more specifically, being disconnected has its disadvantages.

The Guardian reports that there are at least 10 million adults in the UK who have never been online and that £900m every year of government customer service costs would be saved if all those 10 million were to interact just once a month via computer, rather than by phone or face to face.

There is also a strong correlation between connectivity and social disadvantage. In fact, one of the primary initiatives will be to connect a target group of 4 million ’socially excluded’ individuals who will benefit immediately in areas such as housing, health, education and income.

How well are we connected?

#1 Greenland 923 per 1,000 people connected

# 18 UK 661 per 1,000 people connected

#34 Australia 550 per 1,000 people connected

A new report from the Digital Inclusion team says that over ten million adults in the UK have never been online – almost half of that number due to their economic circumstances.

The government funded organisation, whose aim is to help disadvantaged Britons get connected to the Internet, said that because of this situation some of the country’s poorest are becoming poorer.

That’s because households with no Internet are missing out on savings of up to £560 a year, as shopping and paying bills online can generate some considerable discounts.

When totted up, the poorest four million non-online families are missing out on an estimated £1 billion per year savings.

The report, carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, also said that being Internet literate can boost the average worker’s lifetime earnings by £8000.

It also examined the savings the Government could make if digitally excluded adults got online and communicated with them via email – a figure of some £900 million a year.

Martha Lane Fox, head of Digital Inclusion, told The Telegraph: “I think it is really important to show the economic argument behind getting people online. By being online there are massive savings for people personally, rich rewards for their career prospects and also big savings for the government.”

http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2009/10/13/ten-million-brits-have-never-been-online/

The first report from Martha Lane Fox’s Digital Inclusion Task Force has highlighted the economic benefits of being online.

They have discovered that:

• 10 million adults in the UK have never been online and 4 million of these are socially excluded
• the 1.8 million children currently digitally excluded could earn up to £10.8 billion in their lifetime if they were to become digitally literate
• people who are digital literate can earn an average increase in their lifetime earnings of over £8000
• the government could save £900 million a year if all digitally excluded adults where online and communicating with the government instead of face to face

Martha Lane Fox has said:

“I think it is really important to show the economic argument behind getting people online. By being online there are massive savings for people personally, rich rewards for their career prospects and also big savings for the government.
Martha Lane Fox: over 10 million in UK never been online

Her aim is to have everyone online by 2012, the London Olympics, and hopes to achieve this through local community organisations and peer to peer networks.  To help with this the Digital Inclusion Task Force have launched the following website: http://raceonline2012.org/

Further Reading:

• Getting everyone online would save billions, says Martha Lane Fox
• Martha Lane Fox: fixing the holes in Britain’s net