New Media, New Civics?

Ethan Zuckerman explores contemporary anxieties about "a crisis in civics" and looks at the idea that civics is changing along with digital media to become more participatory and inclusive, but harder to understand and predict. The last decade has seen a shift in media from a world where a small, professional group produces news, opinion and entertainment to one where a much broader set of the population is involved making and sharing media. This shift has had important implications for the news business and for social change, with social media a part of popular protests around the world. The most important shift may be yet to come: a shift in civics, where participation in the public sphere is less about engagement with government institutions and more about individuals and groups using media, markets and code as well as laws to seek change. Ethan Zuckerman's talk will explore contemporary anxieties about "a crisis in civics" and look at the idea that civics is changing along with digital media to become more participatory and inclusive, but harder to understand and predict.