NESTA have
published a report by Thilo Boeck and myself on the impact of Amplified Leicester on social capital and cohesion.
Amplified_Leicester.pdfIn
the report we concluded that whilst social media is an important tool,
it is the process of amplification which will really contribute to
social cohesion. As such,
amplification
is not about making a noise about the city but enhancing the
capabilities of individuals and groups to cope with the complexities of
modern life. (p6)
Part of the purpose of the project was to develop a transferable model. The idea we developed (see p7) is as follows:
Stage 1: Cocoon – The Consciously Amplified GroupCreate a trusted collaborative space where deep diversity flourishes, ideas flow, and social media connects.Features of the Cocoon stage include a closed group covering a highly diverse range of education, IT skills, employment, culture, and ethnicity; a commitment to working within a shared space for an agreed period of time; fearless openness to encounters with big ideas; a focus on social media tools and concepts; personalised tech support where necessary; and a conscious awareness of transliteracy and amplification.
Stage 2: Emergence – From the Amplified Group to the Amplified CityProvide a PUBLIC trusted collaborative space where deep diversity flourishes, ideas flow, and social media connect.Our experience has indicated that there is a case for the appointment of trained ‘social media community organisers’ who are skilled in transliteracy and amplification techniques. Ideally, these workers will have been drawn from participants who have been through the Cocoon stage and can use online and offline platforms to establish areas of common ground across and between existing diverse networks.
We'd be grateful for feedback and discussion of the report at the new public Amplified Leicester community.
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