How the local dmocracy changed over the last decade. My presentation on Rockit Warsaw Conference in February 2017

1. How local democracy changed
over the last decade?

2. Let me introduce myslef
For longer than decade I worked with local
goverments in Poland.
7 years ago started cooperation with our
Mayor in the city I live in, Gdansk. First I
started to talk with him about future of
communication, about forecast for
democracy and started to teach him how
to use Social media in communication via
internet and to get in real contact with
citizens.
I saw I could do much more working inside
city gov and 3,5 years ago made
decission, closed my company, sell the
shares in another and started work for City
Hall. That was the start of exciting
adventure.

3. My dream and plan:
Tear down the walls of City Hall
Over the next years, we (lots of people inside and outside the city hall) have done a lot of hard work. Social
Media and other digital means of communication, has been implemented in the structure and operations of
the City Hall and Mayors Office. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we have made a great progress
and we have inspired, and still inspire other cities.

4. What happened and what is happening?
More and more real conversations, requests, applications, discussions took place in
web space. All means of web communication with the city office skyrocketed.
10 to 50 messages per day coming to the Mayor just by Facebook Fanpage. He
personally read or answer most of them or at least looked at. All discussions on
various platforms like Twitter, Google +, Slideshare, Youtube and Mayors blog - has
obviously affected Mayor’s perception of the residents real needs, problems and
emotions.

5. Citizens eager to use Facebook’s Messenger
to stay in touch.

6. We’ve changed the way of comminication,
We stressed on making YouTube films, plain articles on a city website,,
infographics to make them easier do share, to spread. Maybe its obvious
today, but was not 5-6 years ago.

7. Make real conversation happens
We felt that we share something really important with our citizens and we started to build new
ways of knowing the opinions and to make real conversation happens.

8. Open leader
All this became possible because we had an open leader. We even have managed to
transform our Mayor in Social Media hard user, very active participant in disqussions on
social media platforms.. He appreciated all the changes, whats more important, he started to
like this way of communication.

9. Paweł Adamowicz
– Mayor City of Gdansk
City Lab workshop in London
„A glance at the Facebook board, entrance on
Twitter for half an hour, give the feeling that you
know what is happening in Gdansk, you feel the
pulse of the city. You know what people are
saying, what media channels and influensers talk
about.”

10. Citizens wanted to have more data, and
we wanted to talk with them about the
data.
We felt, that people expect from us to be more transparent, more open. Citizens wanted to get more
data, and we wanted to talk with them about the smart governing. Started open data program, even
realeasing all the City Hall expenses daily on city website.

11. Built spreadable stories.
Wanted to generate stories, and we
wanted to make them more spreadable.

12. Civic budget
But we also wanted to engage and invented the web 2.0 tools to make it happens
Civic panel Civic participation
processes
Interactive city budget of
Gdańsk
We and citizens needed new skills, new tools to make this cooperation working. We wanted
to learn how to listen and how to find new ways of debate - introduce new tools of
participation:

13. Momentum for building stronger democracy
It was a time, that I strongly belived, that Its a momentum for building stronger
democracy.
For elected officials, including my previous boss, every time a citizen makes a complaint
or request, it just feels like one more burden on an already busy schedule.
It’s understandandable why they might feel this way, but that doesn’t make it right.

14. In fact, the more active and engaged citizen are, the closer we come to the liberal
democracy. Social media used properly by the citizens and city govermnet, could boost
democracy. It is a fact, that people got the power in their hands.
The more active and engaged citizen are, the
closer we come to the liberal democracy
definition.

15. Gdansk as Freedom city, with free data,
free code, free people, Solidarity
movement, and solidarity with others
We saw how the communication culture changed, and we wanted to create story of Gdansk
as Freedom city, with free data, free code, free people, create a story about Solidarity
movement and solidarity with others, and make it sticky or rather shareable all over the
Poland and over the world.
We had huge achievments, without huge budgets, just making good products and sharing the
story and having fun the same time, working with joy and commitment.

16. Black clouds on the horizon
However, year after year, after the first raptures, came sobering. Modern internet
dominated by a platform not only shows the exhaustion of democracy which we knew so
far, but I’m afraid our democracy is kidnapped, its hacked.

17. Dark and light side
Each of us has become a potentially important actor and voices of many had been
heard thanks to social media.
But the phenomenon of fake news, trolling, hate was never bigger than today.
There has never been a such a low level of quality in public discussion.

18. Democratic dabate vs marketing
The real problem: we do not exchange various arguments in the course of the
public debate, but thanks to marketing techniques, everyone hears what he wants
to hear and the message he suggests. Algorithms of platforms make divisions
between competing camps deepen, and we stay in information bubbles, becoming
prisoners of our beliefs.

19. Inflation of democracy and public debate
Information flow changed so that what becomes "shareble", "spreadable" is what
entertains. Every messag needs to be entertainment - even political and religious.
I analyzed the statistics of many posts. One in which my boss decorated
Christmas tree with his children and those which touched upon matters of
importance. Several thousand time more popular - measured in likes, shares -
currencies today's platforms - than important topics, decisions.

20. Media lost thier vocation
Today great part of the energy and resources must go to monitoring the Internet,
constantly responding to crises and disinformation appearing at any time of the
week, day or night. It was media work few years ago, but today Media has lost
thier vocation and the regulatory role in todays world.
There is no time for long and in-depth debate. What can not be shown in the
memes, it doesn’t exist in consciousness. I'm not saying that's good or bad, but I
say like it is.

21. Who does rule the world, the city?
People, government, media?
I’m afraid none of them…
On one hand, owners of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat likely to
show us, how every next medium is powerful to democratize communication.
On the other side classical media show the loss of citizen control, as the
platforms for distributing media are concentrated in few hands.
The more capital you have, the more you can.
Fortunately, in Poland, political parties are not as rich as in the US, but even in
our country financing political ventures with state money is a trending topic.

22. Democratization or destabilization?
We still do not know where it exactly goes?
We don’t know what people collectively or individually decide to do with those
technologies as professionals, as an audience, and what culture change will it
produce in the end.
We still don’t know what will be the influence of new actors, like companies, paid
by huge money would influence what kind of information we get and what king of
behaving it would generate.

23. People have the tools and they know how to use it
People have the tools and they know how to use it if they want to boost Susan
Boyle’s story, so lets engage them in real discussion. It’s not easy – I know.
I’m not sure if adding more emotions to political movements and election is the
best way. I can see it builts even higher barricades and deepening divisions.

24. What next? I do not have optimistic answer,
but I have a hope!
How to convince people that it is worthwhile to spend time and resources on the
important things? Is it the only way is to turn all the fun? I have no ready answer. I
do not have an optimistic answer. But i have a hope.

25. The most important currency is the time
Today the most important currency is the time. That's what you can do to improve
your city, your local democracy: Devote the time to check facebook lies, stay
familiar with information. Make the action. Give the commitment.
The most important currency is the time
Today the most important currency is the time. That's what you can do to improve
your city, your local democracy: Time devoted to make local action, to cooperate
with city officials, with NGOs. Devoted to fact checking to stay familiar with true
information.
Make the action. Give the commitment.

26. Thanks for your attention
Tomek Nadolny
509-965-415
tomek@openity.pl