tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/social-engagement-16760/articlesSocial engagement – The Conversation2020-09-30T18:29:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1444862020-09-30T18:29:03Z2020-09-30T18:29:03ZClick, like, share, vote: who’s spending and who’s winning on social media ahead of New Zealand’s election<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360653/original/file-20200930-22-vz8nd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C0%2C3081%2C2068&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">GettyImages</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If social media engagement rates determined which parties form the next government, New Zealand’s parliament would soon look a lot different.</p>
<p>With its daily social media interactions commanding an average 7.7% engagement rate, Advance NZ (incorporating the NZ Public Party) would be streets ahead of Labour and National.</p>
<p>Opposing the <a href="http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/0012/latest/LMS344134.html">COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020</a>, 5G and the United Nations, and promoting anti-lockdown protests, might only get them to <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/426670/colmar-brunton-poll-labour-at-48-percent-national-at-31-percent">1% in opinion polls</a> — but it is a winning formula online.</p>
<p>Advance NZ’s livestreamed anti-lockdown march in August netted 255,600 views — 86% of them generated by only 4,793 people who shared the posted video. </p>
<p>That’s a higher engagement rate than many posts by the acknowledged Facebook champion of New Zealand politics, the prime minister and Labour leader, Jacinda Ardern, whose own posts routinely attract between 120,000 and 500,000 views.</p>
<h2>Politics in the attention economy</h2>
<p>Across the political spectrum, parties have seen the greatest boost in visibility when they post about hot-button issues: taxation, lockdowns, economic stress, mask wearing — even tobacco prices.</p>
<p>A photo meme of New Zealand First leader Winston Peters <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NZFirst/photos/a.654807404574852/3228373067218260/?type=3">pledging to remove tobacco excise tax</a> was among the highest-performing posts, gaining 24 times the party’s usual number of comments, likes, shares and views. </p>
<p>The platform algorithms reward posts that outperform a party page’s usual engagement rates. In a kind of snowball effect, high-performing posts are pushed higher into news feeds and deeper into the minds of voters.</p>
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<p>Social media algorithms are <a href="https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6298">proprietary</a> and tweaked often. But their purpose is clear — to read the user’s <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/asi.21662?casa_token=Aowa7-3tFgMAAAAA:ND30I8N71slPyflK1LUFtHfc4bqm4HSDhL_QHTfbfEgeQJva6TTav80KFDyA5OQhoHzy6Bg_PIEuZg">searches and interactions</a> in order to <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2702123.2702274?casa_token=_tZ5DGmkXXsAAAAA:38oTyR0RO9gvQBS9Bs_Mb9hCMg13wCEsxQZNW52mUHfnX8ugaKDS7yQ8ILSLajlS7_uX-erUtRw">serve them</a> more related content and keep them continually engaged.</p>
<p>With this persuasive power <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/movies/the-social-dilemma-review.html">built into the technology</a> and our attention now a commodity to be bought and sold, no politician can ignore social media nowadays.</p>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Organic vs paid media</h2>
<p>In New Zealand from July to September 25, there were <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/report">9,537 paid advertisements</a> on Facebook and Instagram related to social issues, elections and politics, costing a total of $NZ 1,054,713. </p>
<p>Parties are particularly <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/10/when-people-pay-attention-to-video-ads-and-why">paying for attention</a> when their content has limited organic reach. </p>
<p>Labour and Jacinda Ardern have the greatest organic reach, with 1.6 million Facebook fans combined (the lion’s share being Ardern’s). The party <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&country=NZ&view_all_page_id=337477311451">spent only $41,396</a> on posts in one 30-day period ending in September. </p>
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<p>By contrast, National and its leader Judith Collins lack organic reach. With only 180,000 fans across their Facebook pages, they need to spend to keep up — <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&country=NZ&view_all_page_id=183355881680015">$143,825</a> in the same 30-day period. </p>
<p>Of that, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&country=NZ&view_all_page_id=559020010842423">$35,000</a> was devoted to a massive push for people seeing Collins’ social media advertisements to “like my page to stay up to date”. Ultimately, the strategy is about boosting party votes and building greater organic reach in future.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360961/original/file-20200930-14-gl5vms.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360961/original/file-20200930-14-gl5vms.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360961/original/file-20200930-14-gl5vms.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360961/original/file-20200930-14-gl5vms.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360961/original/file-20200930-14-gl5vms.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1044&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360961/original/file-20200930-14-gl5vms.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1044&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360961/original/file-20200930-14-gl5vms.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1044&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Reach and reinforcement</h2>
<p>But even smaller parties have outspent Labour. The Greens paid <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&country=NZ&view_all_page_id=10779081371">$82,000</a> for social advertising in the same period.</p>
<p>However, Greens Auckland Central candidate Chloe Swarbrick (who has a bigger social following than party co-leaders James Shaw or Marama Davidson) went organically viral with a simple photo of herself wearing a vintage party jumper. </p>
<p>Replica garments were rushed into production and <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/122578671/the-story-behind-green-mp-chle-swarbricks-iconic-sweatshirt">sold out</a> overnight on the party’s fundraising site. </p>
<p>So, social media do work, as ACT and its leader, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&country=NZ&view_all_page_id=154331724631584">David Seymour</a>, would no doubt also attest. Having <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&country=NZ&view_all_page_id=92043134118">spent $78,000</a> to promote their “Change your future” bus tour and “Holding the other parties accountable” message, the party is <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12367010">climbing in the polls</a>. </p>
<p>And despite its organic strength, Advance NZ has spent nearly <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&country=NZ&view_all_page_id=106125474475801">$7,000</a> on social media. Half of that was dedicated to boosting numbers at the anti-lockdown protests, but such spending is also clearly designed to reach voters who aren’t already fans or friends of fans.</p>
<h2>Cultivating reality</h2>
<p>The benign view is that social channels allow parties to stay in the conversations and thoughts of voters. Voters in return become more connected to politicians and informed on the issues they care about. </p>
<p>But because of the way those algorithms work, voters may rarely <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15377857.2014.959690?casa_token=IDCfSWNX8xMAAAAA:InoFgKtBEGlYVZsqb8IkpmnK5CN37fgDqKdOmxtvYTAmz1Cuntr2JIEV1xh4blbcq5vuNtKgstU">see the other side</a> of policies and issues. Instead, those first clicks, views and interactions lead down the <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90491131/the-new-york-times-new-podcast-rabbit-hole-sends-you-down-one-to-see-what-the-internet-does-to-us">rabbit hole</a> and create filter bubbles. </p>
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Read more:
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<p>Filter bubbles have been blamed for slowly polarising audiences, causing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/facebook-google-mark-zuckerberg-behavior-modification-empires-2018-4?r=US&IR=T">gradual changes</a> in voter behaviour and perception. This is a vastly different political sphere than existed even five years ago.</p>
<p>For example, anyone following only certain politicians might not have known that several social posts misrepresenting Ardern’s comments about farming in the first TV leaders’ debate had been subsequently <a href="https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2020/08/election-2020-the-whole-truth/#/1193324691/national-mps-are-twisting-jacinda-ardern-s-words-on-social-media">fact-checked and debunked</a>.</p>
<p>Over time, the filter bubble <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1">makes room</a> for fake news to churn inside these echo chambers where users often <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/23/5976.short">fail to fact-check content</a>. Misinformation thrives on <a href="https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2017/08/gut-truth">repetition and familiarity</a>.</p>
<p>But is there evidence that digital messaging influences voting behaviour? Yes, according to at least <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11421">one major US study</a>, especially when shared with friends and family. Such forms of social transmission seem more effective than politicians’ own use of social media. </p>
<p>If attitudes cultivated online translate into real-world voting behaviour, then Advance NZ may be merely a forerunner of what’s to come in New Zealand.</p>
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<p><em>Correction: this story was updated to correct an error in the graph displaying party leaders’ social media statistics. The original version named Gareth Morgan as TOP leader. Geoff Simmons is the current leader.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144486/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Organic appeal and reach still trump advertising spending when it comes to digital engagement by parties and individual politicians.Sommer Kapitan, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Auckland University of TechnologyPatrick van Esch, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, AUT Business School, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1294022020-01-28T13:10:50Z2020-01-28T13:10:50ZHate cancel culture? Blame algorithms<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311881/original/file-20200124-81362-151u6re.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C518%2C4676%2C2804&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Thanks to algorithms, outrage often snowballs.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/crowd-people-surrounded-red-man-accusation-1488375125">Andrii Yalanskyi/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Cancel culture” has become so pervasive that even former President Barack Obama <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/politics/obama-woke-cancel-culture.html">has weighed in on the phenomenon</a>, describing it as an overly judgmental approach to activism that does little to bring about change.</p>
<p>For the uninitiated, here’s a quick primer on the phenomenon: An individual or an organization says, supports or promotes something that other people find offensive. They swarm, piling on the criticism via social media channels. Then that person or company is largely shunned, or “canceled.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/20/opinions/chick-fil-a-lgbtq-backlash-cancel-culture-hope/index.html">It happened to Chick-fil-A</a> when its ties to organizations such as Focus on the Family invited backlash from LGBTQ activists; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/style/james-charles-makeup-artist-youtube.html">it happened to YouTube influencer James Charles</a>, who was accused of betraying his former mentor and lost millions of followers; and it happened to Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross after people learned <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/09/who-is-stephen-ross-billionaire-criticized-his-high-end-trump-fundraiser/">he had held a fundraiser for President Trump</a>.</p>
<p>Outrage can spread so quickly on social media that companies or individuals <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-abc-reacted-so-swiftly-to-roseannes-racist-tweet-97496">who don’t adequately respond to a mishap</a> – intentional or not – can face swift backlash. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/magazine/how-one-stupid-tweet-ruined-justine-saccos-life.html">You can send a thoughtless tweet before boarding a flight</a> and, upon landing, realize you’ve become the target of global ire.</p>
<p>A lot of attention has been given to repercussions of cancel culture on celebrities, from <a href="https://reason.com/2019/12/31/cancel-culture-2019-year/">JK Rowling</a>, to <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2019/12/27/what-kevin-harts-new-docuseries-says-about-cancel-culture/">Kevin Hart</a> to <a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/11/20/lena-dunham-is-cancelled/">Lena Dunham</a>.</p>
<p>Less talked about is the way algorithms actually perpetuate cancel culture.</p>
<h2>Algorithms love outrage</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2016.1172454">My own research has shown</a> how content that sparks an intense emotional response – positive or negative – is more likely to go viral.</p>
<p>Out of millions of tweets, posts, videos and articles, social media users can be exposed to only a handful. So platforms write algorithms that curate news feeds to maximize engagement; social media companies, after all, want you to spend as much time on their platforms as possible. </p>
<p>Outrage is the perfect negative emotion to attract attention and engagement – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfw006">and algorithms are primed to pounce</a>. One person tweeting her outrage would normally fall largely on deaf ears. But if that one person is able to attract enough initial engagement, algorithms will extend that individual’s reach by promoting it to like-minded individuals. A snowball effect occurs, creating a feedback loop <a href="https://theconversation.com/feedback-loops-and-echo-chambers-how-algorithms-amplify-viewpoints-107935">that amplifies the outrage</a>.</p>
<p>Often, this outrage can lack context or be misleading. But that can work in its favor. In fact, I’ve found that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3061149">misleading content</a> on social media tends to lead to even more engagement than verified information. </p>
<p><a href="https://deadline.com/2018/12/heisman-trophy-winner-kyler-murray-made-homophobic-tweets-as-teenager-1202516827/">So you can write an immature tweet as a teenager</a>, someone can dig it up, express outrage, conveniently leave out that it’s from seven or eight years ago, and the algorithms will nonetheless amplify the reaction. </p>
<p>All of a sudden, you’re canceled.</p>
<h2>Hart goes down</h2>
<p>We saw this dynamic recently play out with actor Kevin Hart.</p>
<p>Once it was announced that Hart would be the host for the 2019 Academy Awards, Twitter users plumbed <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/oscars/8492982/kevin-hart-oscar-hosting-controversy-timeline">a series of homophobic tweets from 2009 to 2011</a> and started sharing them. Few were aware Hart had tweeted about homosexuality. The outrage was swift.</p>
<p>Hart’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrEjHFCFe83/?utm_source=ig_embed">unapologetic response</a> on Instagram inflamed the online anger. </p>
<p>Algorithms anticipate what users want <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/technology/facebook-microtargeting-advertising.html">based on detailed information about their preferences</a>. All of a sudden, those most likely to be upset by Hart’s homophobic remarks were having tweets about them splashed across their feeds.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311878/original/file-20200124-81395-pnehka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311878/original/file-20200124-81395-pnehka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311878/original/file-20200124-81395-pnehka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311878/original/file-20200124-81395-pnehka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311878/original/file-20200124-81395-pnehka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311878/original/file-20200124-81395-pnehka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311878/original/file-20200124-81395-pnehka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Algorithms amplified the outrage over Kevin Hart’s homophobic comments – and his opportunity to host the Oscars went up in smoke.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/LA-Premiere-of-Jumanji-The-Next-Level-/f75e56208c3846c795c9890d9e22d558/84/0">Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP</a></span>
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<p>Within a day of Hart’s Instagram post, <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/01/kevin-hart-no-academy-awards-host-ellen-degeneres-1202529458/">the actor announced he would withdraw from hosting</a>.</p>
<p>Cancel culture is just one outgrowth of social media algorithms. </p>
<p>More broadly, people have criticized how algorithms such as YouTube’s actively <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/feb/02/how-youtubes-algorithm-distorts-truth">promote divisive posts</a> in order to suck people into spending more time online.</p>
<p>In 2018, a British Parliament committee report on fake news <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/27/fake-news-inquiry-data-misuse-deomcracy-at-risk-mps-conclude">criticized</a> Facebook’s “relentless targeting of hyper-partisan views, which play to the fears and prejudices of people.”</p>
<h2>Algorithms encourage second acts</h2>
<p>Paradoxically, the same algorithmic forces that buttress cancel culture can actually rehabilitate canceled entertainers.</p>
<p>A few months after the Hart controversy, Netflix <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2019/12/27/kevin-harts-netflix-documentary-series-dont-f-ck-this-up/2759669001/">decided to produce two shows featuring the comedian</a>. </p>
<p>Why would Netflix expose itself to criticism by elevating a supposedly canceled celebrity?</p>
<p>Because it knew that there would be an audience for Hart’s comedy – that, in certain circles, the fact that he had been canceled made him that much more appealing. </p>
<p>Like social media platforms, Netflix also deploys algorithms. Because Netflix has a massive library of content, it deploys algorithms that take into account users’ prior viewing choices and preferences <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/netflix-data-personalisation-watching">to recommend specific shows and movies</a>. </p>
<p>Maybe these users are die-hard Hart fans. Or maybe they’re inclined see Hart as a victim of political correctness. Either way, Netflix has granular data about which users would be predisposed to watching a show about Hart, despite the fact that he had been nominally canceled.</p>
<p>On Netflix’s end, there’s little risk. Netflix probably knows, on some level, which of its subscribers are likely to be offended by Hart. So it simply won’t promote Hart’s show to those people. At the same time, partnering with controversial brands and individuals <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/media/netflix-goop-lab/index.html">can be good for business</a>.</p>
<p>Together, the phenomenon of cancel culture is an illustration of the weird ways algorithms and social media can upend, distort and rehabilitate the lives and careers of celebrities. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anjana Susarla does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Algorithmic forces fuel cancel culture. Paradoxically, they’re also used to rehabilitate those who have been canceled.Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/631702016-09-02T01:31:17Z2016-09-02T01:31:17ZHow civic intelligence can teach what it means to be a citizen<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136365/original/image-20160901-1018-1tuu5oc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What does it mean to be a citizen in today's world?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Christopher Kennedy / Cassie Thornton</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This political season, citizens will be determining who will represent them in the government. This, of course, includes deciding who will be the next president, but also who will serve in thousands of less prominent positions.</p>
<p>But is voting the only job of a citizen? And if there are others, what are they? Who decides who will do the other jobs – and how they should be done?</p>
<p>The concept of “civic intelligence” tries to address such questions. </p>
<p>I’ve been researching and teaching the concept of “civic intelligence” for over 15 years. Civic intelligence can help us understand how decisions in democratic societies are made now and, more importantly, how they could be made in the future. </p>
<p>For example, my students and I used civic intelligence as the focus for <a href="http://www.sigeneration.ca/civic-intelligence-university-college/">comparing colleges and universities</a>. We wanted to see how well schools helped educate their students for civic engagement and social innovation and how well the schools themselves supported this work within the broader community.</p>
<p>My students also practiced civic intelligence, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691180122844">as the best way of learning it</a> is through <a href="https://sites.evergreen.edu/ciral/">“real world” projects</a> such as developing a community garden at a high school for incarcerated youth.</p>
<p>So what is civic intelligence? And why does it matter?</p>
<h2>Understanding civic intelligence</h2>
<p>Civic intelligence describes what happens when people work together to address problems efficiently and equitably. It’s a wide-ranging concept that shows how positive change happens. It can be applied anywhere – from the local to the global – and could take many forms. </p>
<p>For example, civic intelligence was seen in practice when representatives of the world’s governments created and unanimously approved a global action plan last year in Paris. While climate change remains an immense threat, this global cooperation involving years of dedicated debate and discussion produced a common <a href="http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php">framework for action</a> for worldwide reduction of greenhouse gases. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136343/original/image-20160901-1048-i4ft86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136343/original/image-20160901-1048-i4ft86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136343/original/image-20160901-1048-i4ft86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136343/original/image-20160901-1048-i4ft86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136343/original/image-20160901-1048-i4ft86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136343/original/image-20160901-1048-i4ft86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136343/original/image-20160901-1048-i4ft86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Civic intelligence describes when people work together to address problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/takver/3622617318/in/photolist-6w7RVh-22rMwT-p6vQv5-fC94R9-dAiydt-LPF71-oTiK86-bDWXTo-hVJ9yu-pfefA5-paM5Yb-6PhbRy-oTjh2m-7dDPv9-paxq1B-6Pd2Yg-7cQo9g-7dzWk4-4DuHgU-FGYcjA-3igNze-bnTrMV-7ox1i4-eiwixk-cy9gio-beSdZv-qKtPES-papexP-6PcYXZ-6Pd1Y2-hE5oza-eiC5SU-beS8nX-7dzWkz-9vDcCg-6Phd3q-6PhbLW-dYfV7e-qJFKup-bnTaae-6PhaDo-phghQZ-pTQYNY-8XBPhB-7dDQuW-6PhcF5-7dzWqV-q2Fmvw-bnRN4F-pMRbgo#undefined">Takver</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another example is that of mayors around the world establishing networks such as the <a href="http://www.globalparliamentofmayors.org/">Global Parliament of Mayors</a> to bring elected officials together on a regular basis to discuss issues facing cities, such as housing, transportation and air quality. One of these networks, the <a href="http://www.c40.org/">C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group</a>, was launched when representatives of the world’s 40 largest cities wanted to collaborate to address climate change. </p>
<p>Similarly, millions of researchers, teachers, artists, other individuals and NGOs worldwide are working to <a href="http://beautifultrouble.org/">improve their cities and communities</a>. These efforts are amazingly diverse. </p>
<p>In one such case, groups of church members and others from the community in Olympia, Washington, worked for several years with homeless people and families to develop affordable <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/garden/small-world-big-idea.html">housing solutions</a>. And in Brooklyn, a group of young people started an experimental <a href="http://christopherleekennedy.com/portfolio/schoolofthefuture/">School of the Future</a> to develop their ideas on what schools could or should be.</p>
<h2>What’s the history?</h2>
<p>The term “civic intelligence” was first used in English in 1898 by an American clergyman <a href="http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/%7Eppennock/doc-JStrong.htm">Josiah Strong</a> in his book <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=fR6OAAAAMAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=Twentieth+Century+City+josiah+strong&ots=_BDpkUBaSj&sig=NEpjSoRe0onzLKwu9ET72alxSAI#v=onepage&q=Twentieth%20Century%20City%20josiah%20strong&f=false">“The Twentieth Century City”</a> when he wrote of a “dawning social self-consciousness.” </p>
<p>Untold numbers of people have been thinking and practicing civic intelligence without using the term. A brief look at some notable efforts reveals some historic approaches to its broader vision. Let’s take a few:</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136345/original/image-20160901-1054-ubr0h1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136345/original/image-20160901-1054-ubr0h1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136345/original/image-20160901-1054-ubr0h1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136345/original/image-20160901-1054-ubr0h1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136345/original/image-20160901-1054-ubr0h1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136345/original/image-20160901-1054-ubr0h1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136345/original/image-20160901-1054-ubr0h1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluebike/3289684972/in/photolist-61GuJq-8N3NCi-8Kb4Jh-8N6Tjf-aywgMt-8N6T2Y-nAqd5g-amT8gk-8N6Szm-8N6RYJ-ieCYbh-8N6SJ7-8N3MrP-8N3P44-6bnMvX-8N6TrY-8N6SSG-8N3PcB-fkWi7L-eeoJ8r-nv4Gts-eZmYdw-eeusAf-cunx6S-cunzM7-cunCu7-8N3NVV-cunLVu-cunRy7-feRPRM-8N3NMi-8N6Rxs-fkWidh-cunyAG-cunJkL-cunwq3-cunGNy-8N6S8y-qpjmP-cunN3C-8N6RFS-cunNNL-e6ES4W-8N3NdR-cunEHs-eZmZ9d-abkUB4-eZmYs7-e95Cvz-eZaBMv#undefined">Laurie Chipps</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="http://www.iep.utm.edu/dewey/">John Dewey</a>, the prominent social scientist, educator and public intellectual, was absorbed for much of his long professional life with understanding how people pool their knowledge to address the issues facing them.</p></li>
<li><p>The American activist and reformer <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1931/addams-bio.html">Jane Addams</a>, who in 1889 cofounded the <a href="https://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/hullhouse.html">Hull House</a> in Chicago, which housed recent immigrants from Europe, pioneered scores of civically intelligent efforts. These included free lectures on current events, Chicago’s first public playground and a wide range of cultural, political and community research activities.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Civic intelligence today</h2>
<p>There are more contemporary approaches as well. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Sociologist <a href="https://dusp.mit.edu/faculty/xavier-de-souza-briggs">Xavier de Souza Briggs’</a> research on how people from around the world have integrated the efforts of civil society, grassroots organizations and government to <a href="http://www.envisionutah.org/">create sustainable communities</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>With a slightly different lens, researcher <a href="http://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/faculty-staff/jason-corburn">Jason Corburn</a> has examined how “ordinary” people in economically underprivileged neighborhoods have used “<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/street-science">Street Science</a>” to understand and reduce disease and environmental degradation in their communities.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2009/ostrom-facts.html">Elinor Ostrom</a>, recently awarded the Nobel Prize in economics, has studied how groups of people from various times and places <a href="http://publicsphereproject.org/content/commons">managed resources</a> such as fishing grounds, woodlots and pastures by working together collectively to preserve the livelihoods’ sources for future generations. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Making use of civic intelligence</h2>
<p>Civic intelligence is generally an attribute of groups. It’s a collective capability to think and work together. </p>
<p>Advocates and practitioners of civic intelligence (as well as many others) note that the <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7447/full/nature12047.html">risks of the 21st century</a>, which include climate change, environmental destruction and overpopulation, are quantitatively and qualitatively unlike the risks of prior times. They hypothesize that these risks are unlikely to be addressed satisfactorily by government and other leaders without substantial <a href="http://www.sasquatchbooks.com/book/?isbn=9781632170446&becoming-a-citizen-activist-by-nick-licata">citizen engagement</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136347/original/image-20160901-1015-ee4s9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136347/original/image-20160901-1015-ee4s9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136347/original/image-20160901-1015-ee4s9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136347/original/image-20160901-1015-ee4s9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136347/original/image-20160901-1015-ee4s9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136347/original/image-20160901-1015-ee4s9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136347/original/image-20160901-1015-ee4s9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Civic intelligence reminds us that citizens assume responsibility.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gonzale/114789366/in/photolist-b9jT1-ssqFm-dbSRhN-9jfjhW-j7SAL-8aB4nm-afbvDL-rTDrN3-dbSRnw-eZkvSP-9eYtRd-ssqFi-8V9owj-9eVmcP-ekeRfq-6RxJ1-brER4X-eZwRS9-jz5AZ2-8Xzd7L-9TxxBq-fNzLYc-jFu2zx-pszrGP-eZwRR3-nBY34r-ssqFk-rRSuGc-9jZurN-cp9TC-6nQ7ci-agXH4R-dbSQrk-Ac71L8-9eYsUQ-9eVm2x-aAwsaz-eZkvNi-9jZyYo-iW5E8E-9jWvsD-p8TFs-Ac79Nv-eZkvP8-ji6ZM-dbSQXf-9jZyQo-bmjPDo-9eLbaM-cqGEJd#undefined">Gonzale</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>They argue that with or without formal invitations, the citizen must assume more responsibility for the state of the world, especially since in some cases the leaders themselves are <a href="https://www.transparency.org/what-is-corruption/">part of the problem</a>.</p>
<p>“Ordinary” people could bring <a href="http://ldm.sagepub.com/content/11/5/518.short">many civic skills</a> to the public sphere, such as innovation, compassion and <a href="http://publicsphereproject.org/content/everyday-heroism">heroism</a> that are indispensable to the decision-making processes.</p>
<p>That is what brought about changes such as <a href="http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic446176.files/Week_7/Keck_and_Sikkink_Transnational_Advocacy.pdf">human rights, overturning slavery and the environmental movement</a>. These were initiated not by businesses or governments, but by ordinary people. </p>
<h2>Twenty-first century civics</h2>
<p>The civics classes that are required in the public schools mostly focus on conventional political processes. They might teach about governance in a more conventional way, such as how many senators there are (100) or how long their terms are (six years). But self-governance needs <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-wrong-with-americas-civic-education-56854">more than that</a>.</p>
<p>At a basic level, “governance” happens when neighborhood groups, nonprofit organizations or a few friends come together to help address a shared concern.</p>
<p>Their work can take many forms, including writing, developing websites, organizing events or demonstrations, petitioning, starting organizations and, even, performing tasks that are usually thought of as “jobs for the government.” </p>
<p>And sometimes “governance” could even mean breaking some rules, possibly leading to far-reaching reforms. For example, without civil disobedience, the U.S. <a href="http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_boston1774.html">might still be a British colony</a>. And African-Americans might still be <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/rosa-parks/">forced to ride in the back of the bus</a>.</p>
<p>As a discipline, civic intelligence provides a broad focus that incorporates ideas and findings from many fields of study. It involves people from all walks of life, different cultures and circumstances. </p>
<p>A focus on civic intelligence could lead directly to social engagement. I believe <a href="http://publicsphereproject.org/sites/default/files/SpandaJournal_VI,1_Schuler.pdf">understanding civic intelligence</a> could help address the challenges we must face today and tomorrow.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63170/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Douglas Schuler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Civic intelligence describes what happens when people work together to address problems efficiently and equitably. It could help address many societal challenges.Douglas Schuler, Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, Evergreen State CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/626992016-07-24T20:03:34Z2016-07-24T20:03:34ZThere’s a time to put down the smartphone, seriously!<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131193/original/image-20160720-8011-1fxejot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The typical view at a concert when fans take out their smartphones.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Pressmaster</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fans of singer-songwriter Alicia Keys <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/alicia-keys-locks-up-audience-members-mobile-phones-in-the-yondr-pouch-at-her-concerts-20160620-gpn4sa.html">were greeted with a simple message</a> earlier this year when they entered the Highline Ballroom, in New York, to watch her perform.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is a phone free event.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Their smartphones were placed in a lockable pouch distributed by the consumer electronics company, <a href="http://overyondr.com/">Yondr</a>. They carried the pouch with them, only opening it when they exited the venue by tapping on a metal disc located at the main door.</p>
<p>No mobile video or audio recording, live streaming, tweeting, status updates, texting or phone calls occurred while Keys performed on stage.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131182/original/image-20160720-7877-1h08zo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alicia Keys performing in Australia in 2011.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/walmartcorporate/5793373501/">Walmart/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This arrangement met with a range of responses including open frustration, muted acceptance and enthusiastic embrace.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"746032191822565376"}"></div></p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"745421506650513408"}"></div></p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"748553021559283713"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="http://overyondr.com/">Yondr’s website</a> presents an intriguing promise about the experience of phone-free space. Recalling an era before smartphones and broadband mobile services, the company promises to show people “how powerful a moment can be” once the habitual checking and constant use of smartphones is stopped.</p>
<p>Rather than offering connection, it says smartphones cut “people off from each other”, distracting the attention of the user and diminishing the emotional purchase of live events.</p>
<h2>Others seek to ban the smartphone</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/20/yondr-phone-free-cases-alicia-keys-concert">Other artists</a> including The Lumineers, Guns N Roses, Louis CK and Dave Chappelle, have backed Yondr’s promise by employing the pouch at their shows.</p>
<p>Other performers have objected openly to mobile media use by audience members. Performing in Verona, Italy, British performer Adele <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/31/adele-tells-fan-to-stop-filming-gig-and-enjoy-it-in-real-life">rebuked a woman for filming her as she sang</a>, arguing:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Because I’m really here in real life, you can enjoy it in real life rather than through your camera.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gg0pSgrtQJo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>In 2014, the renowned singer-songwriter Kate Bush asked fans to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/19/kate-bush-asks-fans-no-phones-tablets-london-gigs">leave their smartphones and tablets at home</a> during her comeback gigs in London. She wrote on <a href="http://www.katebush.com/news/thanks-and-concert-update">her website</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Parallel appeals are evident in live sport. Celebrity entrepreneur and team owner of the <a href="http://www.mavs.com/">NBA’s Dallas Mavericks</a>, Mark Cuban has advocated against the use of smartphones at live basketball games since 2010.</p>
<p>Much like his appearances on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMITubk2ajQ">Shark Tank</a>, Cuban’s message is delivered with characteristic <a href="http://blogmaverick.com/2011/12/24/the-fan-experience-at-sporting-events-we-dont-need-no-stinking-smartphones/">bluntness</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We don’t need no stinking smartphones!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cuban warns spectators that <a href="http://blogmaverick.com/2014/02/23/my-2-cents-on-sports-marketing-and-what-i-learned-from-smu-basketball-this-week/">looking down at a mobile screen during play</a> could mean missing:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] the look on the face of your child, or your date, and the everlasting memories that are created from games. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cuban’s argument corresponds with a group of ardent fans who follow the Dutch football team, PSV Eindhoven.</p>
<p>The opening home game of the 2014-15 season witnessed a protest by fans against the installation of a new Wi-Fi network in the stadium. A large banner held aloft during the game made it very clear what <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/18/psv-fans-protest-against-wifi-access">fans thought of Wi-Fi</a>.</p>
<p>The protest met with approval by a vocal subsection of <a href="http://mcs.sagepub.com/content/38/3/420.abstract">fans who post in online football forums</a>.</p>
<h2>The live experience</h2>
<p>The conflicted relationship between mobile use and non-use is a common dominator in these events. The power of live performances and games is built on the heightened emotions and sensory engagement generated by the collective focus of a crowd.</p>
<p>But some performers and audience members believe that the constant use of smartphones and tablets by other attendees erodes the quality of their focus and experience. It is a situation in which each individual’s choice possesses exponential significance, producing the overall atmosphere of a live event.</p>
<p>The widespread coverage given to the likes of Keys, Bush, Cuban and others says a great deal about the contested status of mobile technology use in social life.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8Cn_Kr0nLeU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">American musician and singer-songwriter Jack White is also hates smartphones at his concerts.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The problem is a failure to reflect on the impact of smartphone and tablet use in particular social situations. It is necessary to think about and discuss the ways mobile media connect and disconnect people to differing degrees and in different ways.</p>
<p>A failure to do so risks the thoughtless prioritisation of always-on mobile connectivity to the detriment of potentially memorable social experiences. A temporary disengagement from mobile media is sometimes the preferable arrangement.</p>
<h2>The shared event</h2>
<p>The question of how to best <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/new-tech-new-ties">integrate technical and social forms of connectivity</a> requires an understanding of what is shared at events such as concerts and sporting fixtures.</p>
<p>With regard to smartphones, sharing encompasses images, footage, audio content, messages and related information (the songs played and live sport scores). The circulation of these items manifests the experiences and reactions of users, as well as a feeling of camaraderie with friends and networks.</p>
<p>But sitting alongside these media practices are the collective excitement, togetherness and emotions generated by crowds as they focus on a spectacle together, and the lasting memories these experiences create.</p>
<p>The balance between these forms of sharing in a mobile age is unpredictable and occasionally cause for visible disagreement.</p>
<p>We are all a part of the unfolding response to this conundrum, which demands <a href="http://sms.sagepub.com/content/1/2/2056305115604174.full">social experience be taken as seriously as economic considerations</a> in figuring the role of mobile devices in our lives. This is not always an easy task when faced by the seductive marketing efforts of digital technology giants such as Apple, Samsung, Google, Facebook and Twitter.</p>
<p>But mobile media users must contemplate how incessant sharing serves the commercial interests of social networking platforms, digital data harvesters, mobile advertisers and telecommunications carriers. </p>
<p>Conscientious non-users also need to pause and ask how their stance is leveraged by those seeking to protect intellectual property and minimise the circulation of content on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. </p>
<p>Even as it sells tens of millions of iPhones each quarter, Apple has hinted at a move in this direction by <a href="http://thenextweb.com/apple/2016/06/30/apple-patents-way-stop-recording-video-concerts/#gref">registering a patent</a> that would prohibit phone cameras from recording footage in designated areas. </p>
<p>The outstanding question is how much content people really need to record, produce and distribute via their smartphone before they miss witnessing or sharing something significant in their immediate environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62699/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Hutchins receives funding from the Australian Research Council through the Future Fellowship scheme (FT130100506).</span></em></p>There’s a time and place for a smartphone and some artists and sports stars want you to stop using them when they’re performing. Just enjoy the live event instead.Brett Hutchins, Associate Professor in Media Studies and Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/400812015-05-07T04:19:36Z2015-05-07T04:19:36ZFilm festivals have impact, sure, but we need to measure that<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80764/original/image-20150507-19448-130fs9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A still from the film Los Hongos, by Oscar Ruiz Navia, 2014. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Images courtesy of the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival. </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival (HRAFF), which opens today, <a href="http://2015.hraff.org.au/what-we-do">aims to</a> “challenge, touch and inspire audiences from all walks of life” and to provide a “shared site whereby artists, human rights organisations and the Australian public are united by their desire to contribute to <a href="http://2015.hraff.org.au/what-we-do/">social change</a>”.</p>
<p>But is it reasonable to expect the HRAFF – or any other “themed” festival – to lead to any form of lasting change or activism? And if so, how can that be measured? Such questions are more than hypothetical. As festivals worldwide respond to austerity cuts – and the impact these have on their funding models – they are of considerable importance.</p>
<h2>Austerity impact</h2>
<p>The HRAFF model provides a template for a collaborative partnership approach to sponsorship and engagement, as can be seen on <a href="http://2015.hraff.org.au/partners/">its website</a>.</p>
<p>However the reality for many arts and human rights festivals globally has been state and private funding cuts resulting in significant cutbacks on events and engagement, as seen in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/03/italian-theatre-grassroots-cuts">Italy,</a> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/02/european-arts-cuts-dutch-dance">Holland,</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/culture-cuts-blog/2012/jul/10/arts-funding-public-sector-cuts">Britain</a>. Despite the strong support of <a href="http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/arts-nation-an-overview-of-australian-arts/">arts</a> by the general public, the arts sector in Australia has not been immune. </p>
<p>In 2014 the federal government announced a funding cut of <a href="https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2014/october/1412085600/steve-dow/state-arts">A$100 million over four years</a> to the arts. The principal arts funding body, the <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Australai+Council&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&gfe_rd=cr&ei=GORGVZSTJrDu8weznID4BQ">Australia Council</a>, lost more than than A$10 million out of its A$222 million annual budget in 2014 and A$6.4 million for the following three years resulting in a cut just shy of A$30 million. </p>
<p>In August last year the <a href="http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/news/media-centre/speeches/tony-grybowski-launch-of-strategic-plan-and-grants-model/">Australia Council</a> announced the reduction of grant categories from 154 to five aligned with an “enhanced peer-review process” and requiring a “stronger evidence base” .</p>
<p>Capturing the impact of arts and cultural activity on the community is the name of the game. </p>
<h2>Funding models</h2>
<p>Last year’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-australia-council-must-hold-firm-on-arms-length-funding-24460">boycott of the Sydney Biennale</a> by artists protesting the event’s ongoing sponsorship by Transfield Holdings made the point – very publicly – that <em>where</em> festival funding comes from matters. </p>
<p>Last month, artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company Wesley Enoch argued that an “arms length” approach could be taken in accepting the support of mining company Sibelco to fund his play Black Diggers. On ABC’s The Drum, he <a href="http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-18/enoch-navigating-the-murky-waters-of-arts-sponsorship/6326424">wrote that</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>since time immemorial, the artist has relied on the largesse of the tribe to allow them space to practise their craft. To be excused from the day to day gathering of food and collective survival responsibilities so that they can perfect their skills and reflect on tribal cultural needs.</p>
<p>This need for patronage - from royals, from governments, from wealthy individuals, from corporations - has long been a source of tension.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So what are the alternatives? </p>
<p>Many film festivals now use crowdfunding sites such as <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/">Kickstarter</a> and <a href="http://startsomegood.com/">StartSomeGood </a> to raise funds. Last October, following the expiry of a sponsorship by Anil Ambani’s Reliance Entertainment, the <a href="http://www.mumbaifilmfest.org">Mumbai Film Festival</a> was in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/17/bollywood-mumbai-film-festival-india-viral-social-media">danger</a> of ending. </p>
<p>A supporter of the festival, film critic <a href="http://www.anupamachopra.com">Anupama Chopra</a>, turned to crowdfunding, which received huge support from the Indian film and acting industries. </p>
<p>The impact of the initiative has seen other film festivals – such as the <a href="http://mumbaiqueerfest.com/">KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival</a>, South Asia’s biggest (and India’s only) mainstream LGBT film festival – adopt a similar model.</p>
<p>In Australia there are also innovative uses of crowdfunding. In February 2014 the <a href="http://www.transitionsfilmfestival.com/about/">Transitions Film Festival</a> partnered with <a href="http://startsomegood.com/">StartSomeGood</a> and Cinema Nova to launch <a href="http://www.transitionsfilmfestival.com/cinema-by-demand/">Cinema By Demand</a>, whereby were paid for and curated through crowdfunding.</p>
<p>Many businesses and corporations keen to embed a corporate social responsibility ethos have also been integral to supporting and funding festivals. And – as part of the funding terms and conditions of such support – there is a focus on gathering stories of change and impact. </p>
<h2>Measuring impact</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.participantmedia.com">Participant Media</a>, a not-for-profit organisation based in the United States, in partnership with the <a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/">Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</a>, <a href="http://www.knightfoundation.org/">the Knight Foundation</a> and the <a href="http://www.usc.edu/">University of Southern California</a>, offers one way (though it’s still in development) of measuring impact. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.participantmedia.com/participant-index">The Participant Index</a> compiles raw audience numbers from the United States for issue-driven narrative films, documentaries, television programs and online short videos, along with measures of conventional and social media activity, including Twitter and Facebook presence.</p>
<p>The project captures:</p>
<p>• What viewers learned while watching<br>
• How viewers felt after watching<br>
• What viewers did as a result<br></p>
<p><a href="http://www.takepart.com/sites/default/files/TPI%20Inaugural%20Report-Key%20Findings%20%28June%202014%29%5B1%5D.pdf">Key findings</a> of the inaugural report, published last year, found that 77% of viewers placed human rights at the top of their list of important social issues, followed closely by healthcare, education, crime, and hunger. </p>
<p>Stories about animal rights and food production/sustainability were most likely to provoke individual action. Programs that focused on data and online privacy, economic inequality, and health care spur the most information seeking behaviours, while global health and poverty was most likely to inspire individual-driven community engagement. </p>
<h2>Emotional impact</h2>
<p>Measuring the impact of arts and cultural events requires long-term tracking and customised tools. We need to remember that a single numerical figure does not reflect the value of a cultural event that can inspire others who dream of recognition, human rights and democracy. </p>
<p>Developing those systems, and mapping that impact, is – in its own way – a path towards social change. </p>
<p><br></p>
<p><em>The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival opens today. Details <a href="http://2015.hraff.org.au/program/#!alice-springs">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40081/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Showing the “impact” of arts and cultural events is ever more important. But defining and measuring that impact requires long-term tracking and customised tools.Éidín Ní Shé, Research Officer, Centre for Local Government , University of Technology SydneyJessie Lymn, Research Officer, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.