[Air-L] social change?

[Radhika]

Andre, 

I couldn't have said it better

My question about he effectiveness of social advocacy campaigns online was not based in an assumption that the campaigns in themselves are beyond reproach. The assumptions behind these campaigns must be critically examined.


Because technology design is a product of situated values....we get to be tech deterministic.

Because "technology" does not exist "objectively" out there.. .. We do attribute bad or good effects from it.

This form of tech determinism is the form revealed when we approach the study from within communities that feel forced into adopting any kind of technology, because if they don't adopt it, they are told they will be "left behind".

Users from positions of lesser power in global hierarchies cannot afford not to be technologically deterministic.

R

On Jul 28, 2012, at 2:50 PM, André Brock <andre.brock at gmail.com> wrote:

> I agree that measuring social change over the short term - in any
> discipline - is difficult.  My issue, however, is that much of the
> measuring is done ere an assessment/evaluation schema is ever applied.  Why
> do we (and I include myself) uncritically assume that information and The
> Digital* are transformative when it comes to underrepresented groups?  I
> know firsthand of the difficulty; particularly when many of the underserved
> are vehemently technologically determinist themselves...how do you argue
> with someone's belief about their own community?
> 
> Just once I'd lke to see some research on how  The Digital* shaped the
> political behaviors of wealthy donors to a GOP Super PAC.  I bet we'd see a
> multivariate, critical analysis of ALL the information behaviors they
> brought to the table, rather than a blanket assumption that The Digital*
> changed them.
> 
> /end rant.
> 
> André
> __________________________
> * "The Digital" (see 'The Sugar' as a Black euphemism for diabetes) refers
> to ICTs, their content, protocols, practices, users, designers, AND
> beliefs.  You're welcome.
> 
> 
> On Saturday, July 28, 2012, John McNutt wrote:
> 
>> I think the problem is that measuring the effectiveness of social change
>> techniques, especially in the political arena (this is about advocacy,
>> right?), isn't all that easy.  The link between technique > Application >
>> result is full of confounding variables and alternative possibilities.  It
>> is easy to see when something happens, much more work to substantiate the
>> cause.
>> 
>> John
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> John G. McNutt, Professor
>> University of Delaware
>> School of Public Policy and Administration
>> Coordinator, MPA Nonprofit Concentration
>> Newark, DE 19716
>> Voice:  302.831.0765
>> Fax 302.831.4425
>> mcnuttjg at udel.edu <javascript:;>
>> 
>> UD Experts http://udapps.nss.udel.edu/experts/17480775379-John_G_McNutt
>> Be ashamed to die until you've won some victory for humanity-Horace Mann
>> Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pitiful that it has
>> to be us. Jerry Garcia
>> 
>> 
>> ****************************************************************************
>> ***********
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org <javascript:;>
>> [mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org <javascript:;>] On Behalf Of
>> André Brock
>> Sent: Friday, July 27, 2012 6:43 PM
>> To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org <javascript:;>
>> Subject: [Air-L] social change?
>> 
>> via Radhika:
>> 
>>     I find many usability surveys that test for how the interface is
>> usable
>> or
>>     not - but they dont necessarily test for the effectiveness of content
>> in
>>     relation to conveying the social change and advocacy part …
>> 
>> This describes information science in a nutshell.  Can i steal?
>> 
>> André
>> _______________________________________________
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>> 
> 
> -- 
> Andre Brock
> Assistant Professor - Library and Information Science/POROI
> University of Iowa
> Iowa City, IA 52242
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