Session
Digital Opportunities Foundation
Menno Ettema, Council of Europe (WEOG) Carola Croll, Digital Opportunities Foundation, Germany (WEOG) Mara Becker, Digital Opportunities Foundation, Germany (WEOG)
Menno Ettema, Council of Europe (WEOG) Carola Croll, Digital Opportunities Foundation, Germany (WEOG) Mara Becker, Digital Opportunities Foundation, Germany (WEOG)
Organization's Website
Speakers
Menno Ettema, Council of Europe (WEOG)
Carola Croll, Digital Opportunities Foundation, Germany (WEOG)
Onsite Moderator
Mara Becker
Rapporteur
Mara Becker
SDGs
9.1
10.2
11.a
16.10
16.7
Targets: The lightning talk will focus on local community platforms’ strategies on how to combat mis- and disinformation, hate speech, fake and false news – while also shedding light onto the processes needed to establish these platforms long-term. The existence of digital platforms designed to enable communication between citizens and their local administration directly caters to goals 9.1, 16.7 and 16.10. Moreover, obtaining proper and respectful communication within rural areas is geared to goal 10.2. Implementing sustainable digital infrastructure is linked with goal 11.a, crossing the divide between urban and rural areas in terms of opportunities for social interaction, exchanging of goods and public services.
10.2
11.a
16.10
16.7
Targets: The lightning talk will focus on local community platforms’ strategies on how to combat mis- and disinformation, hate speech, fake and false news – while also shedding light onto the processes needed to establish these platforms long-term. The existence of digital platforms designed to enable communication between citizens and their local administration directly caters to goals 9.1, 16.7 and 16.10. Moreover, obtaining proper and respectful communication within rural areas is geared to goal 10.2. Implementing sustainable digital infrastructure is linked with goal 11.a, crossing the divide between urban and rural areas in terms of opportunities for social interaction, exchanging of goods and public services.
Format
The lightning talk will consist of two parts. In the first half, Dr. Carola Croll and Menno Ettema will provide insight into the process of turning digital innovations in rural areas into long-lasting success and into local community platforms’ strategies to counteract mis- and disinformation as well as hate speech, fake and false news. The second half will open the floor for participants to ask questions, interact with the speakers and discuss the topics at hand.
Duration (minutes)
30
Description
How can we make digital innovations in rural communities sustainable, broadening their reach and ensuring their relevance and value for those using them in the long run? What can we learn from local community platforms’ strategies to counteract mis- and disinformation as well as hate speech, fake and false news? Based on the learnings gained in the project “Digitale Dörfer Niedersachsen” (Digital Villages Lower Saxony), this lightning talk aims to illustrate the success factors that enabled scaling an endeavour which started as a one-village-project with 800 citizens 5 years ago into one spanning up to 80.000 users in over 200 communities in Germany’s second-largest federal state: Lower Saxony. As a community platform specifically designed for rural areas, bringing together citizenry and administration on a local level and connecting those living in the same village and facing the same problems, the main take-aways are at the very heart of discussions surrounding rural resilience. What are the advantages of connecting digitally with your own village – and why are stronger bonds formed using a local social network rather than one of the big social media platforms? Which coping mechanisms with hate speech, misinformation, and fake news in digital spaces are forged in places where everyone knows one another? Key points of the talk will be centred on the importance of transferring pre-existing (and mostly analogue) networks and volunteers’ engagement into the digital realm, on using local connections and leading voices to spread the word and raise awareness, and on the challenges and answers specific to rural areas. The overall objective is to make participants acquainted with the processes of the sustainable scaling of digital social innovations in rural communities – and their standardization as implemented by the project team. This best practice approach which is closely shaped by the connection of academic research and practical implementation is a leading example and a starting point for an international discourse on digital social innovations for rural communities. The Council of Europe will place this lighting talk in context of promising practices and policy developments across Europe on combating hate speech, and advancing inclusion at local and regional level.
1) Our moderator will be in charge of keeping an eye on both the on-site and online-participants, enabling both groups to contribute either by offering input or by asking questions. 2) The lightning talk will consist of two parts: After an introduction to the approach of the local community platform, we will open the floor to questions from both on-site participants and online participants. We will provide a fact sheet in advance which will highlight key talking points and questions as well as a short introduction to the “Digitale Dörfer Niedersachsen” (Digital Villages Lower Saxony) project’s approach. Thus the debate with participants will be facilitated by the extra information provided. The fact sheet will be available online and in print-outs at the venue also to make IGF participants aware of the session. 3) /
1) Our moderator will be in charge of keeping an eye on both the on-site and online-participants, enabling both groups to contribute either by offering input or by asking questions. 2) The lightning talk will consist of two parts: After an introduction to the approach of the local community platform, we will open the floor to questions from both on-site participants and online participants. We will provide a fact sheet in advance which will highlight key talking points and questions as well as a short introduction to the “Digitale Dörfer Niedersachsen” (Digital Villages Lower Saxony) project’s approach. Thus the debate with participants will be facilitated by the extra information provided. The fact sheet will be available online and in print-outs at the venue also to make IGF participants aware of the session. 3) /