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Communications by Design? CommunitySpaces, Neighbourhood Media & Creativecitizens Dr Giota Alevizou With contributions from Katerina Alexiou, Catherine Green, Gail Ramster, Theo Zamenopoulos Presented as part of the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) seminar series Digital Policy: Connectivity, Creativity and Rights (RES-451-26-0849), Media and Communications Dept, University of Vienna,22-23 Nov 2012

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Community Led Design

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Key assumptions about the value of community-led design Community-led design brings to communities: • Social value: e.g. knowing more people makes people happy, connectivity gives people more power to engender change • Cultural value: e.g. a better environment with opportunities to learn and create, creating a sense of identity, shared culture/vision • Economic value: e.g. more businesses, more jobs, stronger local economy

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The core questionshow do individuals and communities involved in participatory design projects,engage with each other and through new media.how do communities involved in such projects use the media as a means for way-finding and & communicationhow do communities represent their outputs, achievements and challenges theyface to raise the possible impact of their civic contributions

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Creative Citizenship?Creative citizenship combines notions from cultural sociology - a field thataddresses the cultural needs of the individual and puts forward the representationof excluded or non expert groups (Stevenson, 2001; 2003) - with definitions of„creative communities‟, stemming from the social innovation context (Jégou etal., 2008: 32).Puts forward an understanding of citizenship as “practices of association amongco-subjects”, rather than a notion of “rights and obligations to a state”(Hartley, 2010)• new tendencies towards visibility and self-representation?• a renewed impulse for sharing contributing to everyday creative interpretations?• the emphasis on „process, emotion and presence‟ rather than simply an outcome? (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; Gauntlett, 2011)

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Insights on media use, media outputs

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Overview of media use/outputs N: 33 representatives from 17 Communities: focus groups and questionnaires/media matrix

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’I first became aware of the issue througha poster on a tree, advertising a publicmeeting’

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Break-down of small media use Small media matter and are generally found to be effective

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Break-down of social media use Facebook was seen as the most effective way of reaching people after word of mouth.

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Community ProfilesThe Mill Insights from focus groupStage: EstablishedType: Community CentreLocation: WalthamstowSize: 200 + volunteers and stakeholders

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Community ProfilesKentish Town Neighbourhood Forum Insights from focus groupStage: MidType: Neighbourhood ForumLocation: Kentish TownSize: 230 members

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Community ProfilesBarnfield Estate Insights from focus groupStage: MidType: RegenerationLocation: WoolwichSize: large community _ minimal public media footprint

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Community ProfilesGoldsmiths Community Centre Insights from focus groupStage: EstablishedType: Community CentreLocation: LewishamSize: large

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Community ProfilesWards Corner Community Coalition Insights from focus groupStage: EstablishedType: Built Environment /Advocacy/ActivismLocation: HaringeySize: large

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Communities as audiences/info-gatherers/media prod-users Initiation and way-finding • Serendipitous discoveries & idea generation • Learning about and getting (more) involved • Info gathering and advice/support solicitation (un)Mediated public engagement workshops • Articulation of issues, needs, assets • Story-telling and reflective emotions about space, locality, identity • meetings with designers and planners trying to „understand‟ complex design through visits and crafty-ness Progression: communication and collaboration • Sharing info and awareness raising • Collaboration and deliberation (mediated yet mostly private) • Advocacy and volunteer mobilization • Understanding of problems through (often unmediated) co-creation • Consultation & peer support Communities as media prod-users • Representation and broadcasting: assets /outputs /events • Story-telling • Commentary

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Maintaining mediated presence Realities • Media production/communication facilitated & endorsed by emerging community leaders / „media creatives‟. • Small media and social media facilitate peripheral participation in interest sub-communities Issues and Tensions – within wider processes of mediation Media and participatory literacy Sustainability Quality Social/on line media use Exposure vs privacy Governance (community, public, local) Representative-ness and inclusivity

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Aspirations for community-led media sites