Five years ago I was a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University trying to decide between 11 different fields of study. Meanwhile, the Journalism industry was beginning a transformation of its own as Internet-based panic and disruption was reaching a critical mass among Newspapers and professional informers. That was the year that Knight began their News Challenge, the program that funded the creation of this center.
In what must have been a fluke I became one of the first round winners. This meant that I would very quickly put my own identity crisis into perspective (compared to the unknowns that journalists faced, my directions felt downright narrow). It also meant that I would get to start growing up alongside an entire industry.
Being asked now to define “Civic Media?” I have to smile because I know that the mental magma around this area has only just begun to cool. I’ll play along!
What is Civic Media?
In the style of Monty Python: It’s…
- Like many of us, a fellow child of the Internet.
- An effort to keep individuals in control of their lives and involved in their communities.
- Constantly evolving as people discover new tools, new tricks, and new forms of empowerment.
- Not a big truck.
As far as core tenants are concerned, I have to be careful because I already heard whispers of an epic set of tenants crafted by Ethan and Sasha and honestly those sounded pretty darn good to me. I will instead throw out some terms that explain the nature and role of civic media:
Reflective – Civic needs to reflect the people it serves. This includes both form and content.
Flexible – As new tools, needs, and generations come into existence, the way that people engage with their communities will evolve. Civic media will to evolve too.
Vital – Information is the life force of a functioning society, which means that the field of civic media has the most significant influence over the long-term health of our world.
Superhuman – Civic media (and media in general) is a higher power. It affects how we think, dictates agendas, and directs the lens of society onto issues that would otherwise go unnoticed.
As for this course…
I was not left disappointed with the readings this week, which echoed the overall messages that I’ve heard from Knight over the past five years: the problems are vast, diverse, and wildly important, but we have the technology and creativity. The potential solutions are powerful and they are beginning to be realized.
In fact, it seems that we are now discovering that the biggest limitation for world citizens interested in contributing and listening to their community’s information ecosystem is access (a major issue, but one that somehow feels more traditional and easier to take on). Having a clear path is a major step up from being lost.
I have many reasons to take this course. I want to meet new people in my field, better know my peers, idols, and mentors in the Center for Civic Media, fill in the many gaps of my knowledge of the civic space, and hopefully contribute to that magma shaping using the skills and observations I’ve picked up since I first met Knight all those years ago. I also truly believe that a better media ecosystem is our best shot at saving the world. Good guys try to save the world.