Call for Proposals - Mixed media for development and democracy

Community networking is a generic term to define different kinds of uses of the Internet and information technologies for the transformation of our communities. In some countries, they remain as freenets, in others they are called telecenters, in others they are seen as an active "digital city". In all cases, community networks gather people willing to participate in the renewal of their own community in the digital era. They are more than a simple web or portal. They are new forms of society, of community. We can define community networking as a way of using information technologies by a local actor (association, city, neighbourhoods, libraries, new organisations, women movements, etc) for the purpose of social transformation (local development, renewal of democracy, social inclusion...)

The Global CN congress is now the annual meeting of the civic networks, as well as of people interested in their reinforcement, from all over the world. Citizens' networks are the novel forms of civic associations of our digital era. They play an important role in the strengthening of social networks, in any given population's access and tools to use the knowledge and work opportunities of the Information Society, in citizens' participation in local policy making, the creation of better working conditions, and the generation of innovative enterprises. Civic networks means different things to the different practitioners now spread around the world.

These issues will be debated at the II Global Congress of Citizens Network 2001 (GCN2001) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between the 5 and 7 December 2001. It will gather members of the governmental, business, academic, and community sectors involved in these networking projects. Information about the Congress is available in English, French and Spanish at http://www.globalcn2001.org/
 

"Mixed Media for Development and Democracy" is one of 19 workshops that will take place over the three day conference. It will look at the social, cultural, economic and political implications of the "convergence" of traditional independent and community media (especially radio) and the Internet. 

Over the past five years a number of experiments have initiated ways of blending independent local radio and the Internet. These experiments have taken three main forms:

     1. projects that use ICTs to support low-cost independent radio networks and new exchanges; 
     2. projects that use radio stations as "community intermediaries" or "gateways" to the Internet, and; 
     3. projects that use ICTs to facilitate communication between the local communities and emigrants.

We invite members of NGOs, citizens groups, researchers, government officials and the media to submit abstracts for papers, videos, and other forms of presentations to be considered for inclusion in the workshop. 

The following list of themes is intended as a guide and proposals are not limited to it: 

Networks and exchanges - Until recently broadcast networks were the exclusive preserve of a few large national and international companies. With declining cost of satellite usage, improved Internet applications and increased bandwidth, new entrants are breaking into the field, establishing sub-regional and special interest networks of independent and community broadcasters. Can these emerging networks help bring about a more pluralist, democratic and counter hegemonic media? 

The role of the audience - In 1932 Bertolt Brecht wrote: "Radio could be the most wonderful public communication system imaginable... if it were capable, not only of transmitting, but also of receiving, of making the listener not only hear but also speak." Can the convergence of traditional broadcasting with new interactive communication technologies result in the more responsive and democratic media that Brecht hoped for? Or will it follow in the footsteps of so much open-line radio -- creating an illusion of participation behind which hides an increasingly inaccessible media?

Next generation radio - Over the past year animated debates have been taking place between those who argue that radio will remain the most important media for the poor and new media proponents who argue that the broadcast monologue will be replaced by the Internet dialogue. But will convergence have an either/or result, or will the injection of the Internet's digital DNA turn next generation radio into an entirely new species? 

Globalisation and local media - The process of globalisation is marked with tension between the global and the local and by debates about whether convergence inhibits divergence or permits new voices to be heard. Is there still a role for local media? What are the contradictions inherent in local media's use of the tools of globalisation?

Abstracts of no more than 400 words (Arial 11, 1.5 space, A4 page size) must be sent by email no later by May 30, 2001 to <[email protected]> with a copy to <[email protected]>. Abstracts should include the thematic thread (Mixed Media for Development and Democracy), title, author's name, institution, address, telephone, e- mail and URL and will describe clearly the proposed presentation, paper or activity. 

Bruce Girard <[email protected]>
Dirk Koning <[email protected]>
Ernesto Lamas <[email protected]>

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The following is a complete list of the workshops that will take place during GCN2001. Abstracts for any of these workshops can be emailed to <[email protected]>.

1. The Right to Communicate in the digital age. Bridging the Digital Divide in a Digital Society 
2. Culture and Identity in the Cyberspace. Indigenous people, multiculturalism and the building of  identities.
3. Universities studies on CN jointly with CN members. 
4. Telemedicine - the use of ICT to improve diagnosis and treatment of illness and 'telehealth' the use of ICT to maintain health.
5. Virtual technologies and open source; software and hardware for communities. 
6. (R)Evolution of Networked Economics. 
7. CN Telecentres. 
8. Community Networks and Regulatory Policies. 
9. Multicultural virtual communities management.
10. Women and the stakes of the new economy. Women´s voices in the Net”.
11. Internet and other media as a support for global social movements.
12. Stakes in Amateur and Professional Creative Practices (artistic, cultural, educational), using ICTs. 
13. Community Networks and Cooperatives. 
14. E-Commerce and its application to community economic development.
15. E-government and Citizens´Networks. 
16. Citizens´s networks and Education in information Society.
17. Childhood and Youth in the Digital Era. 
18. Mixed media for development and democracy. 
19. Enterprises and community networks. 

For further information, please consult the website at http://www.globalcn2001.org/ .