Networked Neighbourhoods - London's Local Digital Landscape
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Digital Neighbourhoods Hugh Flouch Networked Neighbourhoods
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A high level review of neighbourhood networks in London
Transcript of Networked Neighbourhoods - London's Local Digital Landscape
Digital Neighbourhoods
Hugh FlouchNetworked Neighbourhoods
Why Now?
Sense of powerlessness
Alienation from Alienation from local community
Concern over local issues
Tecno revolution – tool ownership
In London:
• 63% of households have a PC or laptop
• 76% have access to internet in the home or outside.
(Source: OFCOM Nations & Regions Tracker, Q1 2009)(Source: OFCOM Nations & Regions Tracker, Q1 2009)
• 73% UK population use internet every day (ONS – Internet Access Household & Individuals, Aug 2009)
Tecno revolution – easy connectivities
“One of the few uncontentious tenets of economics is that people respond to
incentives. If you give them more a reason to do something, they will do more of it. And if you make it easier to do more of
something they are already inclined to do, something they are already inclined to do, they will also do more of it.”
Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky
Social Netw
ork
Social Netw
ork
Citizen Journalism
Citizen Journalism
Blog-based
Blog
Traditional forum
Traditional forum
Read only
Read only
Listings oriented
Listings oriented
Multiples
Multiples
aggregators
aggregators
London’s Digital Neighbourhoods
• Community focussed sites - >100
• Resident Associations / Friends of groups – 1,320 (est)
• Multiples – 200 (est)
• Aggregators
Reader/Member EngagementSite UK Rank
(11.23m)GlobalRank
TOS Links
Se1 4,885 116,119 1.9 4,406
Urban 75 8,710 69,044 1.7 739
East Dulwich Forum 11,520 229,851 5 56
Chiswick W4 16,028 324,404 3.3 83
Haringey Council 6,912 181,145 3.6 362
Ham & High 35,142 509,651 2.0 367
Haringey Independent 44,617 927,043 77
Crouch End & Hornsey Journal Unranked 2,540,764 1.3 94
Haringey Advertiser Unranked 10,838,273 1
Chiswick W4 16,028 324,404 3.3 83
Harringay Online 25,095 816, 930 4.9 44
(Source: alexa.com, 28/09/09)
“Social Nets increasingly becoming an
‘authority’ traffic source”
“Government sites receive more traffic from Social Nets than News and Media”
Positive Impacts
- the available - the available evidence
Empowerment & EngagementEmpowerment & Engagement
In June 2009, the Seattle Planning Commission posted the questionnaire asking neighbours to respond with their thoughts on the city's progress meeting neighbourhood planning goals. Of the top five neighbourhoods to respond, all have a strong local blog presence.
Community Cohesion
Netville & e-neighbours studies
Keith Hampton
“Growing evidence that there is a strong correlation with community cohesion in those localities where residents report a higher level of subjective empowerment” In A CLG study reported in An “Everybody Needs Good Neighbours, Involve 2008, that the binds that generate community cohesion are rooted in informal relationships rather than formal mechanisms of participation. In CLG paper, “Meaningful Social Interaction”, 2009, Digital Social Networks are cited as a place or space that can promote social interactions. The research evidence from North America (the Netville and e-Neighbors studies[1]) indicates that active participation in a simple neighbourhood email list increases a resident’s number of local weak ties: ‘Those who were enrolled and actively participated in e-Neighbors, by sending at least one message to their neighborhood list, experienced an average increase of 4.36 ties in each year of the study.’ [2] �Keith N. Hampton, Ph.D - Assistant Professor, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, New media and community, social network analysis, research design and methodology, the relationship between information and communication technologies and the urban environment. �
Satisfaction with Local Area
Better Local Information
• improved relevance of local news• improved access to local services• better consumer information and advice• stronger involvement in community affairs• stronger involvement in community affairs• enhanced democratic participation• support for local production and training.
(Source: Digital Local, Ofcom, 2006)
Wellbeing
Wellbeing is higher:• in areas where residents can influence decisions affecting their decisions affecting their neighbourhood
• amongst people who have regular contact with their neighbours.
(Source: Neighbourliness + Empowerment = Wellbeing, Young Foundation, 2007)
Building Local Capacity
“The current global financial turmoil bolsters the case for government adoption of social networks as technology-budget cuts make tapping into societal resources, such as voluntary groups, philanthropists, associations and social network groups essential to complement weaker government action in some complement weaker government action in some critical areas…the most promising, and yet, most disruptive, communities are those created outside government”
(The Business Impact of Social Computing on Government, Gartner, October 2008)
Hugh [email protected]@networkedneighbourhoods.com
