IGF 2019 WS #254 A Citizens contribution: More empowerment & less addiction?!

Information

Session

Theme:

Subtheme(s):

Digital Literacy
distributed and decentralized multi-stakeholder approach
Inclusive Governance

Organizer 1: Judith Ferrando, Missions Publiques
Organizer 2: Faheem Hussain, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
Organizer 3: Arthur Oyako, Africa Freedom of Information Centre
Organizer 4: Silvia Cervellini, Delibera Brazil
Organizer 5: Eniola Mafe, World Economic Forum
Organizer 6: Andrey Shcherbovich, National Research University Higher School of Economics

Speaker 1: Faheem Hussain, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 2: Arthur Oyako, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Silvia Cervellini, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Eniola Mafe, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 5: Andrey Shcherbovich, Civil Society, Eastern European Group

Policy Question(s):

The preliminary discussions hosted by the Global Citizens’ Debate on the Future of Internet (www.wetheinternet.org) have revealed that participants (from 12 countries of the world) share a vivid discussion around the impact of Internet Applications on their lives: Are they a tool of empowerment or an emerging addiction? This question may seem trivial at first glance but has strong policy and design implications:

Is it a surprise to hear that from citizens? Which solutions can the Internet community offer to respond to these concerns? Which role does Internet literacy play in preventing addictive behaviors? Is it the responsibility of stakeholders to create an non-addictive environment? What can be learned from other policy field like nutrition, gambling or drugs? What are the most recent practices of interest? What do we learn from neurosciences?

If we now take the 50/50 moment into consideration: What will happen with the remaining citizens arriving after the “first wave” of users. Will have they a more responsible behavior than the first batch? Or on the contrary will they enter a mature system in which everything guides them towards onscreen time?

The policy questions will be refined with the results of the full scale debate planned for September 28th 2019.

Relevance to Theme: The workshop relates to the track on inclusion under two aspects:

Firstly the way the policy question has emerged is the product of an unprecedented effort of inclusion of ordinary, non-experts citizens into the internet governance discussion. It represents a piloting process of how a policy process engaging both experts and citizens could work.

Second, the question of the Human experience of Internet is key to the inclusion in the digital society: How does internet and its application act as tools for empowerment and not as tool for dependency? This is particularly truth in relation to the future users that will arrive on the network in the coming years?

Relevance to Internet Governance: Internet Governance in the frame of IGF is at a turning point. The Global Citizens’ Debate aims at extending Internet Governance beyond the usual suspects and towards ordinary citizens of the world.
Two effects: it directly includes new people in the governance and it gives high quality results of Global relevance to fuel the discussion.
The preliminary discussion have shown the concerns of citizens relative to the question of screen time. This topic is now on the table of discussion and stakeholder can take it up and propose solutions.

Format:

Break-out Group Discussions - Round Tables - 90 Min

Description: 1. Opening (30’)
Short presentation of project and process (Missions Publiques). Feedback from members of the Advisory Board and Scientific committee of the project (M&F, developed & global South) and from participants to the debate (ordinary citizens, 1 from each continent, M&F, "youth” and “old”).

2. Discussion / Break-out groups (40’)
Participants are randomly split into groups of 5 (maximum diversity).

In each group a facilitator and a note taker guide the discussion. Participants discuss following questions (not exclusive):

When did empowerment turned into dependency? Why do citizens feel that they are becoming dependent? Is this backed by hard fact or is this a perception? In any case, how can this concern be tackled? What can be learned from other policy fields? How to work on that topic in 2020 and beyond?

3. Presentation of results of the groups and conclusion (20’)

Participants gather in plenary, some note takers present the key results of their group.
After WS: All notes are gathered and published.

The online participation will be organized as a mirror of the f2f participation:

1. E-Opening (30’)
The remote participants will be in a listening position and will be in the virtual room. Two of the feedback at the beginning will be delivered by remote participants: One organizer and one participant.

2. E-Discussion / E-Break-out groups (40’)
Online participants will be invited to join 5 virtual rooms (links will be provided at the beginning of the session - participants will be dispatched in function of the first letter of their country of origin). In each group a facilitator and a note taker will guide the discussion. The virtual group will discuss the same two questions as the f2f groups.

3. E-Presentation of results of the groups and conclusion (20’)
Online participants will join back the plenary, some remote note takers will present the key results of their group.

Expected Outcomes: We expect two outcomes:

1. At the level of the precise policy question, we expect the workshop to foster a broader discussion on the question of on-screen time.

2. At meta-level we expect the workshop to showcase how involving ordinary citizens into global internet governance allows to bring new topics on the table that stakeholder can then integrate in their discussion.

Onsite Moderator:

Silvia Cervellini, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Online Moderator:

Judith Ferrando, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Rapporteur:

Eniola Mafe, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization

Discussion Facilitation:

As detailled above, we will have a participatory session in which all participants will be "speaker" at their table.
They will produce common answers to the policy questions.

The team at Missions Publiques has 20 years experience in designing and moderating participatory formats and we will mobilize this knowledge to make sure that all participants f2f and online can engage in the discussion.

Online Participation:

The online participation will be organized as a mirror of the f2f participation:

3. E-Presentation of results of the groups and conclusion (20’)
Online participants will join back the plenary, some remote note takers will present the key results of their group.

Proposed Additional Tools: We will use 2 platforms:

1. The platform of the Global Debate that will allow participants to search in the results of the debate

2. Sli.do to have live questions and answers

SDGs:

GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 12: Responsible Production and Consumption
GOAL 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Reference Document