Online Communities And Crowds In The Rise Of The Five Star Movement

This book reflects on the political capacity of citizen users to impact politics, explaining the danger in assuming that mass online participation has unconditionally democratising effects. Focusing on the case of Italy's Five Star Movement, the book argues that Internet participation is naturally unequal and, without normative and strong design efforts, Internet platforms can generate noisy, undemocratic crowds instead of self-reflexive, norm-bounded communities. The depiction of a democratising Internet can be easily exploited by those who manage these platforms to sell crowds as deliberating publics. As the Internet, almost everywhere, turns into the primary medium for political engagement, it also becomes the symbol of what is wrong with politics. Internet users experience unprecedented, instantaneous and personalised access to information and communication and, by comparison, they feel a much stronger level of irrelevance in the existing political system.

This book reflects on the political capacity of citizen users to impact politics, explaining the danger in assuming that mass online participation has unconditionally democratising effects. Focusing on the case of Italy's Five Star Movement, the book argues that Internet participation is naturally unequal and, without normative and strong design efforts, Internet platforms can generate noisy, undemocratic crowds instead of self-reflexive, norm-bounded communities. The depiction of a democratising Internet can be easily exploited by those who manage these platforms to sell crowds as deliberating publics. As the Internet, almost everywhere, turns into the primary medium for political engagement, it also becomes the symbol of what is wrong with politics. Internet users experience unprecedented, instantaneous and personalised access to information and communication and, by comparison, they feel a much stronger level of irrelevance in the existing political system.

Why does Procter & Gamble repeatedly call on enthusiastic amateurs to solve scientific and technical challenges? How can companies as diverse as iStockphoto and Threadless employ just a handful of people, yet generate millions of dollars in revenue every year? "Crowdsourcing" is how the power of the many can be leveraged to accomplish feats that were once the responsibility of a specialized few. Jeff Howe reveals that the crowd is more than wise–it’s talented, creative, and stunningly productive. It’s also a perfect meritocracy, where age, gender, race, education, and job history no longer matter; the quality of the work is all that counts. If you can perform the service, design the product, or solve the problem, you’ve got the job. But crowdsourcing has also triggered a dramatic shift in the way work is organized, talent is employed, research is conducted, and products are made and marketed. As the crowd comes to supplant traditional forms of labor, pain and disruption are inevitable, and Howe delves into both the positive and negative consequences of this intriguing phenomenon. Through extensive reporting from the front lines of this workplace revolution, he employs a brilliant array of stories to look at the economic, cultural, business, and political implications of crowdsourcing.

A guide to successful community moderation exploring everything from the trenches of Reddit to your neighborhood Facebook page. Don’t read the comments. Old advice, yet more relevant than ever. The tools we once hailed for their power to connect people and spark creativity can also be hotbeds of hate, harassment, and political division. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are under fire for either too much or too little moderation. Creating and maintaining healthy online communities isn’t easy. Over the course of two years of graduate research at MIT, former tech journalist and current product manager Anika Gupta interviewed moderators who’d worked on the sidelines of gamer forums and in the quagmires of online news comments sections. She’s spoken with professional and volunteer moderators for communities like Pantsuit Nation, Nextdoor, World of Warcraft guilds, Reddit, and FetLife. In How to Handle a Crowd, she shares what makes successful communities tick – and what you can learn from them about the delicate balance of community moderation. Topics include: -Building creative communities in online spaces -Bridging political division—and creating new alliances -Encouraging freedom of speech -Defining and eliminating hate and trolling -Ensuring safety for all participants- -Motivating community members to action How to Handle a Crowd is the perfect book for anyone looking to take their small community group to the next level, start a career in online moderation, or tackle their own business’s comments section.

This is the second edition of the only book to be devoted exclusively to the total cancer picture in adolescents and young adults (AYA), now expanded from the age range 15-29 to that of 15–39 years. For each of the diverse spectrum of cancers encountered in the AYA group, the epidemiology, natural progression, diagnostic approaches, and treatment options are described, with special emphasis on strategies for early detection and prevention. Comparison is made with management of both younger and older patients, and model programs are presented that address common diagnostic, staging, treatment, and psychosocial shortcomings in the AYA group. Detailed attention is also paid to principles and practices of care, with consideration of psychosocial and quality of life issues, social support systems, rehabilitation, late effects, insurance, and economic aspects of health care, among other topics. The authors make compelling arguments for integrated strategies that allow young adults to benefit from the combined expertise of pediatric and adult oncologists in systems that identify both the complex disease and the social issues specific to this population. The proposed models of care include relationships with other specialties that do not specifically target this age group, i.e., infectious disease, endocrinology, pulmonary medicine, nephrology, gastroenterology, thoracic and abdominal surgery, urology, otolaryngology, and neurosurgery. New patterns of communication are advocated and endorsed as essential for productive interaction involving these specialties. References are extensive and are oriented toward users in pediatric hematology-oncologymedical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, gynecologic oncology, oncology nursing, psycho-oncology, social work, epidemiology, public health and health services research. The contributing authors are from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, France, Israel, Switzerland and Australia, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.p>

A nonprofit leader's guide for engaging millennials in all aspects of a nonprofit organization Written by Millennials about Millennials, Cause for Change examines strategies for engaging Millennials as constituents, volunteers, and donors, and focuses on how organizations can realign themselves to better respond to this group of 80 million strong. At the heart of this research-based guide is the Millennial Development Platform, an action-based rubric developed by the authors and included in each chapter to help organizations create the infrastructure for a long-term millennial engagement strategy. Examines how Millennials communicate, volunteer, take action, influence their peers, and choose to give their time and money Explains how Millennials view their role in the workplace, and how their approach is re-shaping nonprofit culture from within Cause for Change profiles Millennials who have emerged as dynamic leaders to create and manage movements in their communities.

Many teens today who use the Internet are actively involved in participatory cultures—joining online communities (Facebook, message boards, game clans), producing creative work in new forms (digital sampling, modding, fan videomaking, fan fiction), working in teams to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (as in Wikipedia), and shaping the flow of media (as in blogging or podcasting). A growing body of scholarship suggests potential benefits of these activities, including opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, development of skills useful in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship. Some argue that young people pick up these key skills and competencies on their own by interacting with popular culture; but the problems of unequal access, lack of media transparency, and the breakdown of traditional forms of socialization and professional training suggest a role for policy and pedagogical intervention. This report aims to shift the conversation about the "digital divide" from questions about access to technology to questions about access to opportunities for involvement in participatory culture and how to provide all young people with the chance to develop the cultural competencies and social skills needed. Fostering these skills, the authors argue, requires a systemic approach to media education; schools, afterschool programs, and parents all have distinctive roles to play. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning