open media = better democracy
DESCRIPTION
Rutgers March 2011 LectureTRANSCRIPT
OPEN MEDIA
= BETTER DEMOCRACY
Timothy KarrFree Press
SavetheInternet.comTwitter: @TimKarr
1. VISION: It’s the Internet, Stupid2. CRITICAL JUNCTURE: Open vs Closed
3. WHAT’S NEXT: Advocacy
THE VISION:
Communications technologies are central to almost every major political issue facing our democracy.
healthcare
voter rights and participation election finance reform
unemployment
It’s the Internet, Stupid
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
But communications technologies are undergoing a seismic shift.
newspapers
music & movies
All these media are converging online.
television & radio telephones
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
Profound
Democracy
It’s a a seismic shift that is having a
Effect on our
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
This transformation is being powered by a tool that gives users more control over information than at any other time in history.
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
Pew, 2010:
“Just 42% of Americans say they consider the television set to be a necessity… In 2009, this figure was 52%. In 2006, it was 64%.”
“Seven-in-ten adult internet users (69%) have used the internet to watch or download video.”
&
THE VISION:It’s the Mobile Internet,
Stupid Pew, 2010:
40% of adult Americans use their mobile phones to access the internet, or send email or instant messages (up from the 32% who did this in 2009).
Cell phone ownership is higher among African-Americans and Latinos than among whites (87% vs. 80%).
&
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
The emergence of this open channel presents an immense challenge to traditional media.
And it presents an immense opportunity to make democracy work better for everyone.
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
Open media = Better democracy
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
Protecting open media is an issue that
should transcend politics to include anyone who
seeks to build a healthier democracy … but …
THE VISION:It’s the Internet, Stupid
The debate over the Internet should not fall along an axis of
Left vs Right
Open vs ClosedBut of
3. WHAT’S NEXT: Advocacy
1. VISION: It’s the Internet, Stupid
2. CRITICAL JUNCTURE: Open v Closed
CRITICAL JUNCTURE:A juncture of technology & politics
Where mainstream media are replaced by
participatory content
CRITICAL JUNCTURE:
participatory politics
A juncture of technology & politics
Where top-down leadership is replaced by
CRITICAL JUNCTURE:
A collision of opposing cultures
Mass Media Social Media
VS
CRITICAL JUNCTURE:
A collision of opposing cultures
Mass MediaNewspapersRadioTelevisionMotion Pictures
Social MediaFacebook & TwitterSmart PhonesVideo GamesBlogs
VS
CRITICAL JUNCTURE:
A collision of opposing cultures
Mass MediaOne-directionalGatekeeperCentralized
Closed
Social MediaMulti-directionalNeutralDecentralized
OpenVS
Culture Culture
CRITICAL JUNCTURE:
Social Media
inform & empower allenhance democratic participationamplify alternative voicesspread free speech
Values
CRITICAL JUNCTURE:
Policies we make to protect the Internet will determine whether the future of our media is open or closed; whether the future of our democracy is healthy or weak.
Since the beginning of the mass media era, policies have determined the structure of the media system.
In the era of social media, making the right policies is even more critical.
2. CRITICAL JUNCTURE: Open vs Closed
1. VISION: It’s the Internet, Stupid
3. WHAT’S NEXT: The Advocacy role
WHAT’S NEXT:
To help ensure that everyone can play an active role in our democracy, our nation must build an Internet guided by these principles:
Access
Openness Innovation
Choice
Organize Around Principles
WHAT’S NEXT:Organize Around Principles
WHAT’S NEXT:Organize Around Principles
WHAT’S NEXT:Organize Around Principles
WHAT’S NEXT:Organize Around Principles
WHAT’S NEXT:
… win legal protections for an open and neutral Internet.
… make Internet access affordable to everyone.
… foster innovation on the Web’s level playing field.
… gain more choices for users by opening the airwaves.
… extend this new digital power to every American.
We will
Turn Principles into Goals
President Obama publicly called for Net Neutrality protections on at least seven occasions, saying, “I take a back seat to no one in my commitment to Net Neutrality.”
WHAT’S NEXT:A battle report on
Openness
more than two million Americans have petitioned Washington to demand that our leaders protect the open Internet from blocking and discrimination by corporations.
WHAT’S NEXT: A battle report on
Openness
WHAT’S NEXT: A battle report on
Openness
Late last year, a Democratic FCC passed an order that put in place weak rules to protect Net Neutrality. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski crafted a compromise that no one seems happy with.
WHAT’S NEXT: A battle report on
Openness
But new Republican leadership in the House has decided that the FCC action, weak though it may be, " went too far." House Speaker John Boehner pledged to use the full powers at his disposal "to fight [this] government takeover of the Internet." A vote in the House is planned for later this week.
WHAT’S NEXT: A battle report on
Openness
The Senate is more likely tosupport the FCC rule leavingCongress in a political stalemate. Meanwhile, major ISPs are exploring new ways to limit your accessto all things online.
We’re Stuck… for Now
WHAT’S NEXT:
How important is an open Internet to the ways that you communicate every day?
How would losing control over your ability to connect with anyone affect you?
Is this issue important enough for you to join the open Internet movement?
OPEN MEDIA
= BETTER DEMOCRACY
Timothy KarrFree Press
SavetheInternet.comTwitter: @TimKarr