Session: PublicSpaces Manifesto Workshop

https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/session/publicspaces-manifesto-workshop

Naam/name Notulist: Puck Hoogenboom
Datum/date: 28-06-2023 12:45

Sprekersnamen/speaker names:

• Fieke Jansen - https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/people/fieke-jansen
• Robin Pocornie - https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/people/robin-pocornie
• Judith Blijden - https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/people/judith-blijden

Shownotes 

(mentioned links, books, podcasts, literature, etc.)

• Digital Spoelkeuken https://publicspaces.net/de-digitale-spoelkeuken/
• The Value of a Whale https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526162632/#:~:text=The%20Value%20of%20a%20Whale%20is%20an%20accessible%20and%20expertly,prospects%20for%20a%20liveable%20future.

Live notes (500-750 words)

Please use full sentences and write in the spoken language of the session / Graag volledige zinnen gebruiken en de taal aanhouden van de sessie

Dymphie Braun (Program maker + Workshop Facilitator + PublicSpaces Foundation): 
Sessie start in het Nederlands. We besluiten de rest van de sessie in het Engels te doen. PublicSpaces is pretty young. We have started with a manifesto. Today we are questioning if that manifesto is complete. 

Wouter Tebbens (PublicSpaces Foundation): 
I will not talk about the history of the manifesto. In our current manifesto we have five values: openness, acountability, transparancy, sovereignty, user centeredness. This morning we all struggled with the word 'user'. Our manifesto says 'user-centred' we have allready changed this to 'human-centred'. What other changes do we need to make to the manifesto? Maybe ecological sustainability is missing? Inclusivesness, diversity, the way we govern our commons? I will invite Geert-Jan to talk about the history of the values and the manifesto. 

Geert-Jan Bogaerts (PublicSpaces Foundation): 
It began at my kitchen table. If we talk about digital media, what are specific values that might be applicable to this digital realm. We discussed the valuess of sustainability and inclusiveness. But we thought that these were much broader issues that needed to be delt with outside of the digital realm. We were not so aware about the environmental impact of data centres etc. It is time for an updat, I really believe that. It is important that our values should also be actionable. We need to give people handles and grip so people can actually work with them. 

Wouter Tebbens (PublicSpaces Doundation): The manifesto is found on our website and they are apart of our bylaws. We cannot simply change it today, this would be a long proces. Today we are taking inspiration which we can take to the board and partners of PublicSpaces. 

Dymphie (Program maker + Workshop facilitator + PublicSpaces Foundation): Intention of todays workshop: Connection, sharing stories, how can we make new values actionable. We hope to build a common ambition today and invite three people on stage at the next session to share this ambition. What did we learn from Abdo: It was a 'let's do it' energy. He phrased it as 'joyful resistance'. I would love to bring that mindset to this workshop.

Judith Blijden (Senior Policy Officer Digital Transition at the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands):
I represent social sustainability. I am not speaking on behalf of the council, these are my thoughts. Some values allready align with social sustainability: openness, user-centred, sovereignty. 
Social sustainability = 1. Social: how do relate to others 2. Sustainability: In what sort of longterm vision do you think about that. 

Questions to ask: 
    - Who are we defining? We may have to think about actors in a more relational way. 
    - How do we do this? Is it an active way or a passive way?
    
I suggest that we think of adding a value that is called 'cooperative'. Instead of creator-user relationship we think about it as an ecosystem. 

Fieke jansen (researcher infrastructure lab): 
I represent ecological sustainability. We all know about the ecological situation we are in. We need to act now. Why the digital industry is polluting:
    - hardware 
    - huge quantities of natural resources such as water 
    - the dumping of products in places like Africa and China
We should not make the user responsible. We need to push for industrial policy. I miss the articulation in the manifesto of power and injustice. Our social values have to start from inequality. Who is missing from the conversation right now? 

Robin Pacornie (AI-justice activist, bioinformatician): 
 I represent the value of inclusion and diversity. During the covid pandemic my studies went online. They used a software to detect cheating. I was not able to get into my exam because the software did not recognise my face as human, because the software does not recognise black faces. We filed a complaint on discrimination against the VU Amsterdam. Why not just change the software and change the dataset? It is more important because: 
     - For a collective internet: Industry makes software that is in demand
     - Public institutions have the responsibility to be accesible for everyone
     
Introductions in groups: What is your name and the value you want to stand for? Which role do you want to have in the group?

Dymphie shares format of the value elaboration and gives post-its to groups. Write down on your post-it: what does 'value' mean to you?

Groups pair up and ask eachother: What have you experienced in your personal life that explains why you think something/a value needs to change?

Everyone writes down a sentence that expresses what their ideal situation would be that connects to this experience. This sentence should be related to your value and be about the ideal sitaution of the digital space. 

Groups take eight minutes to share sentences with each other.

Geert-Jan Bogaerts: How I feel as a middle aged white dude: Am I even entitled to talk about this?
Pariticipant: Your feelings are valid and valued, but they may not always be required.
Dymphie: And don't take away the power of listening. 

Groups write down the ambition for 2026 and write down the current state in 2023.

Groups vote on each others ambitions.

Groups present their outcomes

Group 1 (ecological sustainability) Karin:
Current state is colonising all forms of life.
We want to know that there is a tomorrow. We want an internet that is ........
We want to shame the current system but also promote things like 'right to repair'.
We need to invite the right people - people who are allready impacted by climate change etc. 

Group 2 (Diversity and Inclusion) Linda:
Current state: Bias, unequal, untransparent, it is violating privacy. Discriminiation is prevelent. It is discirmination by design. 
Actions: Decision making should be done by diverser group. We need an evaluation of the side effects of tech like we do with medicine. People working in tech and buying tech should be accountable and responsible. There should be complete transparancy about our data. 
Ambition: we want a digital space where there is complete transparancy and accountability. Diversity and inclusion need to be assured. 

Ruha: We need to distinguish between just inclusion and predetory inclusion.  We don't want equal opportunity oppression. We are not simply fighting to be included we are fighting foor 'just inclusivity'. 

Group 3 (Social sustainability) Douwe:
It comes down to governance. The digital public spaces right now is not a public space. So how do we get out? 
We need trust. I need to be able to trust that people come up for me. We need community. So we go away from the user-centred value and make it not huma-centred but humans-centred. 
    
Wrap-up + invitation to come to closing session to present the values at the Grote Zaal