PRIVATE ISSUES IN PUBLIC SPACES: Shifting engagement formats in a

Citizen Conference on ICT

Juan C. Aceros & Miquel DomènechUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain

EASST Conference 2014 – Situating Solidarities. Torun, Poland, 17-19th september.Track C04 - Non-concerns about science and technology and within STS

‛Participatory turn’ in STS

INTRODUCTION

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‛Participatory turn’ in STS

INTRODUCTION

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Deliberative devices

Citizen panels

Consensusconferences

... how open deliberative devices are

to the different modes of solidarity is not self-evident.

INTRODUCTION

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Refinement of the public voice.

INTRODUCTION

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A “refined” opinion – by contrast of a “raw” opinion – is the opinion that “has been tested by the consideration of competing arguments and ... contrasting views” (Fishkin, 2009: 14).

INTRODUCTION

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Refined = Informed

INTRODUCTION

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Refined = Attentive

INTRODUCTION

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Refined = Engaged

INTRODUCTION

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Refined = Engaged

INTRODUCTION

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We have explored what defines the engagement of “refined”

opinions in practice.

INTRODUCTION

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ICT CONFERENCE

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ICT CONFERENCE

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The citizen panel

ICT CONFERENCE

Phase 1

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ICT CONFERENCE

Phase 2

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ICT CONFERENCE

Phase 3

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“Regimes of engagement”

FRAMEWORK

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“Regimes of engagement”

FRAMEWORK

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...the variety of ways in which humans are commited to their environment … and in pursuit of a kind of ‛good’ (Thévenoth,

2009)

“Cognitive formats”

FRAMEWORK

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… vary considerably as a human being detaches herself form what is closest and most personal and move to communicate … across increasing relational distances”

(Thévenot, 2007).

FRAMEWORK

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FRAMEWORK

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ExperiencesNarratives MemoriesSelf-presentations

FRAMEWORK

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Personal format

Response

What happens when personal engagements

come to the fore?

FRAMEWORK

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FORBIDDEN ENGAGEMENTS

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Participants are discussing about the role of technologies in reducing older people’s loneliness. Francisco argues that loneliness decreases when you can talk with your children or grandchildren through the ICTs. Then, Maria intervenes: “OK! But not everyone have children and grandchildren.” “But they have friends!” Francisco asserts. “I have lot of friends!”, he says. Visibly upset, Maria reply: “Don’t tell me that! I am trying to say that technology is great ... when the family is functional”.

FORBIDDEN ENGAGEMENTS

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“But they have friends!” Francisco asserts. “I have lot of friends!”, he says. Visibly upset, Maria reply: “Don’t tell me that! I am trying to say that technology is great ... when the family is functional”.

EXPELLED ENGAGEMENTS

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Participants are talking about how expensive the devices are ... Diego says that it is possible to buy low-cost computers ... if the person is not expecting to do complicated things with them. This statement attracts the attention of some participants who ask Diego where they can find such a low-cost devices. When Diego starts giving some information about the shops he is familiar with the facilitator interrupts him: “Listen! Maybe it is better to leave this topic to the coffee-break. Someone could think that we are trying to sell you something”.

EXPELLED ENGAGEMENTS

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When Diego starts giving some information about the shops he is familiar with the facilitator interrupts him: “Listen! Maybe it is better to leave this topic to the coffee-break. Someone could think that we are trying to sell you something”.

IGNORED ENGAGEMENTS

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Luis is sharing his impressions about a book about how smarthphones are making the life more difficult to many people. Lourdes agrees: “Yeah, it is because of the smartphones work so fast and you have to use your fingers.” She moves her hands as if she is using an smarthphone and continues: “We are clumsy with the hands. ... Even it’s a problem of mental speed. You have no enough time to react when the program is just no working anymore”. Then, some participants laugh. “Fuck! I had no time!” Lourdes says ... Then, a cell-phone rings and the facilitator takes advantage of the interruption in order to introduce a new topic: the effect of electromagnetic fields in human health.

Public deliberation is not considered the right place

for personal, private or bodily matters.

SUMMARIZING

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Some personal issues may live a different life in the

Barcelona ICT citizen conference.

SUMMARIZING

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SUMMARIZING

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Scalability Exportability

SCALABILITY

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Scalability

In telecommunications and informatics, scalability is the hability of a given entity to be enlarged to acommodate a growing amount of work.

SCALABILITY

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Scalability

When personal stories, memories or experiences are designed to be scalable, they work as examples of widespread issues which are shared by a big number of people.

SCALABILITY

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Maria is saying that because her husband was an engineer, with high technological competences, she was prevented to use ICTs at home. According to her, she learned how to use computers at work ... Maria looks at the other women at the meeting, and says: “There is a lot to say about the older women, that’s it: about us”.

EXPORTABILITY

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Exportability

It is necessary personal issues to be articulated in a format that is exportable. We use the expression “exportability” in order to highlight the capacity some formats have to travel from one place to the other.

EXPORTABILITY

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Jorge points to the need of creating and publicising courses which are adapted to older people’s needs. Then he starts speaking about his experience with ICT courses. The facilitator interrupts him and ask if the other participants agree with Jorge ... Then the coordinator also intervenes and states that it is important the contributions to be formulated as questions the participants can ask to the experts in the conference.

EXPORTABILITY

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P = Proposals

P = Preoccupations

Q = Questions

CONCLUSIONS

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Coping strategies:

ForbiddingExpulsingIgnoring

Making personal matter’s scalableMaking them exportable

CONCLUSIONS

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Coping strategies:

ForbiddingExpulsingIgnoring

Making personal matter’s scalableMaking them exportable

Personal matters

“… participation procedures characteristic of conventional public spaces are not receptive

to the familiar format, they may prove oppressive and humiliating for persons.”

(Thévenot, 2008)

CONCLUSION

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CONCLUSIONS

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Coping strategies:

ForbiddingExpulsingIgnoring

ScalabilityExportability

Personal matters

Representative &reproductible

outcomes

CONCLUSIONS

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Representatives & Spokespersons

Is it conceivable a participatory device which is

open to personal matters?

INTRODUCTION

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Thanks!

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PRIVATE ISSUES IN PUBLIC SPACES: Shifting engagement formats in a

Citizen Conference on ICT

Juan C. AcerosJuanCarlos.Aceros@uab.es

Miquel DomènechMiquel.Domenech@uab.es

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain

This paper refers to work that was funded by the National R+D+i Program of the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain (CITAD Project, ref. CSO2008-06308-C02). It has also been made possible thanks to the European Social Fund and the Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca (CUR), Government of Catalonia, through the grants for universities and research centers for the recruitment of new research personnel (FI-DGR 2010).