Designing for Civil Society

One phrase at the end of a post by David Wilcox caught my attention.
Designing for Civil Society: Tories (and Google) embrace DIY TV

At one time political parties offered people an eco-system of goodwill, some shared values, debate, stimulation. Now we look elsewhere.

That could be almost be a formula for providing the environment for a successful online community. First there’s the word ‘ecosystem’ which resonates with my contention that technology provides an environment in which community may occur. Then there’s the idea of humans being naturally gregarious and seeking to fulfil this need for a group to belong to. Modern nuclear families are not sufficient, and people seek out clubs and societies, evening classes, keep fit, bingo, social clubs, campaigns and political parties, anything to provide the opportunity for social interaction, and sometimes whether consciously or not, to find a mate. The young conservatives/socialists/liberals etc were all famous for that, so were the Young Farmers for that matter.

My point here is to contend with the notion that communities of practice only occur when a group of people gather with the express intention of learning together. In my experience, the motivation for gathering does not need to include a conscious desire to learn as the main purpose, although learning within peer groups will undoubtedly occur, but more naturally as a by-product rather than the central concern.

An eco-system of goodwill, some shared values, debate, stimulation are indeed some of the most sought after things and if we can find ways to build such ecosystems, then positive communities may well flourish within them. Learning is not always primary.

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