In which digital citizens talk
No suit and no tie — very ordinarily informal. About a hundred digital citizens traveled from every corner of the planet to Delhi, India, with only a few things, computer laptops and digital cameras, for Global Voices 2006 Summit.
In T-shirt and jeans, the ladies and gentlemen had some interesting discussions, what they have done to make people in this world to talk and to listen to each others — making the emergence of conversation online. What made this digital citizen’s meeting unique from others is: transparency. In all the account of their discussions, virtual participants can listen to their public podcast, a new tool that web enthusiasts use to publish account of verbal communication on the Web. What they talk is what you can listen. What else? Once they were on their way to conclude a session, the minutes can be found on a collaborative web page, which can be edited by some designated participants. And along with the verbal discussions, most of the attendees also discussed on a number of topics using irc channel.
Given the fact that technology, particularly information and communication and technologies, has shaped the way people communicate with each others, the world, not surprisingly, has long been more connected. Occasionally we still use snail mail to keep in touch with friends and family members. But more than ever, in a few seconds, we can talk to anyone in another continent instantly. People can come up with lot of thoughtful actions after a series of debates. The most common way to get most of the things out of an issue is to talk face to face. But today, with the introduction of new technology, people with basic IT skills can do more. In this age of information, we bring debate online. It is time the virtual world plays a vital role to shape our world of reality.
It is certain that what’s going on in the virtual world will, more or less, complement the way we live. How we interact with one another on the Internet will affect our lives in most ways, if not less. It is not that technology will change the way we live. It is that how we use technology that matters — that changes our lives.
Not international peacekeepers, but Global Voices Onliners
Wired News Quinn Norton covered the story ‘Bloggers Shrink the Planet‘ from Delhi. And Kamla Bhatt talked to Ethan Zuckerman and Georgia Popplewell.
Global Voices Online, a non-profit global citizens’ media project, sponsored by and launched from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School, is an award-winning online portal and guide to international blogs beyond North America and Western Europe. It has also become the hub of a growing community of international bloggers who want to build a better global conversation. The Global Voices Summit, on 15 December 2006, was our annual opportunity to take stock, come together and explore our central question: How can we use the Internet to build a more democratic, participatory global discourse? How can we create a more inclusive conversation about what is happening on our planet, and how human beings in different parts of the world are impacting each other in countless ways we don’t realize every day?
Bangladeshi Rezwan (now bases in Germany) talking, participants listening
Talking, typing, and shooting
Web architect Boris Anthony fixing the router to restore ‘less wireless’ Internet connection
After the morning session, spicy Indian food, during this lunch break, pushed us to talk to more about what we had discussed
Left: Maurina (Brunei), Ndesanjo (Nigeria), and Jacky (China) talking over the dinner
Global Voices Online co-founder Ethan Zuckerman talking to Global Voices Online editors and writers
A conference room of digital citizens: full of laptops, digital camera, audio recorder, and tea and coffee cups
Samuel Klein presenting $100 laptop to Leila Tanayeva
Heading to the meeting place, Habitat Center
At Metro Height (not Metro City) hotel waiting for bus to Habitat Center, the meeting place
Tags: India
February 1st, 2007 at 14:07 pm
Aahh.. to be young and free; to be smart and inquisitive; to cascade along the cutting edge of socio-technology with kindred spirits criss-crossing continents— amiably convening to share ideas and encouragement! The quiet pulse of the endeavor is deafenning. Bravo.
And thank you as always ThaRum, for sharing.
June 11th, 2007 at 15:43 pm
[...] In Delhi last year, I was very disappointed with most of the snapshots. A small glitch made things worse. Only a few images, though, can be considered interesting. For instance, you can take a look at this GV at Global Village, a site dedicated to all things Global Voices Online. The black & white header image is originally taken by me. With a few editing technique, the image is now in use. I’m really happy about this. [...]