Playing on the Edge: Facilitating the Emergence of a Local Digital Grassroots

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Playing on the Edge: Facilitating the Emergence of Local Digital Grassroots Dr Axel Bruns Dr Sal Humphreys Creative Industries Faculty

description

This paper by Axel Bruns and Sal Humphreys for the Association of Internet Researchers conference in Vancouver, 17-20 Oct. 2007,describes the first phase of the Emergent Digital Grassroots eXpo (edgeX) project – a research and application project centred on mapping grassroots and amateur content creation, community engagement with new media, and strengthening local identity. Developed in conjunction with the City Council of Ipswich, a city of some 150,000 residents in regional Queensland, the edgeX project provides a site for local residents to upload creative content, to participate in competitions, to comment on each other’s work, and to develop new skills. Research goals associated with edgeX arise from a broader project of mapping the creative industries and their role in the knowledge economy, and a growing understanding of the significant part user-led content creation plays in these processes, especially including the role of amateur creatives.

Transcript of Playing on the Edge: Facilitating the Emergence of a Local Digital Grassroots

Page 1: Playing on the Edge: Facilitating the Emergence of a Local Digital Grassroots

Playing on the Edge:Facilitating the Emergence of Local Digital Grassroots

Dr Axel Bruns

Dr Sal Humphreys

Creative Industries Faculty

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Creative Industries mapping

The “missing middle” in content creation policy - the role of independent SME commercial production sector. Leadbeater and Oakley (1999)

The “missing grassroots” – the need to map the contributions of DIY amateur content creation to the knowledge economy

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Importance of local content

Local culture in a globalised medium

Communities of interest and local geographic communities

The AUS-US Free Trade Agreement

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Who makes local content in new media environments?

Commercial

Amateur

Pathways between the two?

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The edgeX project

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Project partners

Queensland University of Technology

University of Queensland

Ipswich City Council

Australian Research Council

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Research strategies and goals

Mapping current local amateur content creation

Developing website

Community engagement – training sessions – enabling participation

Tracking the uploading and use of content

Monitoring the use of CC licences

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Research strategies and goals

Observing community management strategies

Can integrating this kind of new media technology into people’s communication ecologies strengthen their sense of local identity?

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Website design

Mapping interface – reinforcing the sense of local geography and community

Upload video, photos, podcasts, text, etc

Exhibition/competition space

Commenting and tagging

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Website design

Creative Commons licensing available (plus training in CC use)

Individual, group and public spaces

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Community engagement

Working with ICC and with a variety of local community groups

Focus on existing communities of interest within the geographical area

Run training sessions, provide support, follow-up work

Achieve a critical mass for sustainability

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Ethnographic Action Research

Taken from the Ethnographic Action Research handbook by Jo Tacchi, Don Slater and Greg Hearn, UNESCO 2003

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Ethnographic Action Research

Maintain a reflective engagement with community members and adapt project to meet their needs

Attending group meetings, P/O, interviews and focus groups, consultation, mapping ecologies

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