This document presents the theoretical background, general objectives, elements, and shape of the Digital Democracy and Data Commons pilot to be carried on in Barcelona, in the context of the DEcentralized Citizen Owned Data Ecosystems (DECODE) project. It explains the two threads of the pilot, the Digital Democracy thread and the Data Commons thread. The Digital Democracy thread is oriented to improve Digital Democracy by integrating DECODE technology with Decidim technology (Decidim is a free software for participatory democracy) and enabling better authenticated, more private, transparent and data enriched decision making. The Data Commons thread is oriented to explore alternatives to the current model of digital economy by using Decidim technology for deliberating upon data policies and deciding upon an experimental data commons constituted during the pilot. The document opens providing a theoretical background of the need for and potential shape of this type of alternatives in the current predicament, defined by datacracy in the political arena (where new big data techniques by powerful actors are strategically used for intervening into politics and culture) and data extractivism in the economic arena (where monopolistic actors exploit citizen¿s data undermining privacy as well as personal and collective autonomy for profit). Afterwards, the document presents the technical, social and theoretical objectives of the pilot, as well as some evaluation metrics. It then enumerates its various elements: its core theoretical frameworks and concepts, technologies, sociotechnical tools and practices (legal, social, economic), social actors, and data involved in the pilot. Finally, it describes the general shape of the pilot, its various stages, the resources mobilize for its development and some of its outputs.
We are currently witnessing the emergence of new forms of collective identities and a redefinition of the old ones through networked digital interactions, and these can be explicitly measured and analyzed. We distinguish between three major trends on the development of the concept of identity in the social realm: (1) an essentialist sense (based on conditions and properties shared by members of a group), (2) a representational or ideational sense (based on the application of categories by oneself or others), and (3) a relational and interactional sense (based on interaction processes between actors and their environments). The interactional approach aligns with current empirical and methodological progress in social network analysis. Moreover, it has been argued that, within the network society, the notion of collective identity (Melucci, 1995) in the political field must be rethought as technologically mediated and interactive. We suggest that collective identities should be understood as recurrent, cohesive, and coordinated communicative interaction networks. We here propose that such identities can be depicted by: (a) mapping and filtering a relevant interaction network, (b) delimiting a set of communities, (c) determining the strongly connected component(s) of such communities (the core identity) in a directed graph, and (d) defining the identity audiences and sources within the community. This technical graph-theoretical characterization is explained and justified in detail through a toy model and applied to three empirical case studies to characterize political identities in party politics (communicative interaction in Twitter during the Spanish elections in 2018), contentious politics in confrontation (in Twitter during the Catalan strike for independence 2019), and the multitudinous identity of Spanish Indignados/15 social movement (in Facebook fan pages 2011). We discuss how the proposed definition is useful to delimit and characterize the internal structure of collective identities in technopolitical interaction networks, and we suggest how the proposed methods can be improved and complemented with other approaches. We finally draw the theoretical implications of understanding collective identities as emerging from interaction networks in a progressive platformization of social interactions in a digital world.
We are currently witnessing the emergence of new forms of collective identities and a redefinition of the old ones through networked digital interactions, and these can be explicitly measured and analyzed. We distinguish between three major trends on the development of the concept of identity in the social realm: (1) an essentialist sense (based on conditions and properties shared by members of a group), (2) a representational or ideational sense (based on the application of categories by oneself or others), and (3) a relational and interactional sense (based on interaction processes between actors and their environments). The interactional approach aligns with current empirical and methodological progress in social network analysis. Moreover, it has been argued that, within the network society, the notion of collective identity (Melucci, 1995) in the political field must be rethought as technologically mediated and interactive. We suggest that collective identities should be understood as recurrent, cohesive, and coordinated communicative interaction networks. We here propose that such identities can be depicted by: (a) mapping and filtering a relevant interaction network, (b) delimiting a set of communities, (c) determining the strongly connected component(s) of such communities (the core identity) in a directed graph, and (d) defining the identity audiences and sources within the community. This technical graph–theoretical characterization is explained and justified in detail through a toy model and applied to three empirical case studies to characterize political identities in party politics (communicative interaction in Twitter during the Spanish elections in 2018), contentious politics in confrontation (in Twitter during the Catalan strike for independence 2019), and the multitudinous identity of Spanish Indignados/15 social movement (in Facebook fan pages 2011). We discuss how the proposed definition is useful to delimit and characterize the internal structure of collective identities in technopolitical ...
La società diviene (in) rete. Questa era una delle tesi di Manuel Castells già sul finire del secolo scorso. Con la spinta di una moltitudine di attori, le reti digitali dispiegate nell'infrastruttura di Internet sono arrivate a permeare sempre più aspetti delle nostre vite personali e collettive. Il più recente impatto può essere rilevato in fenomeni che vanno dalle elezioni che fecero Trump presidente (chiaramente infuenzate da Facebook e Twitter) ai prezzi delle case a Barcellona (determinati da Airbnb), dalle relazioni di lavoro (sviluppate su LinkedIn) a quelle affettive (ridefinite su Tinder). Tuttavia, oltre la diagnosi generale, è importante distinguere diversi tipi di reti, promosse da diversi tipi di attori. L'argomento teorico chiave delineato nel nostro articolo Decidim: redes políticas y tecnopolíticas para la democracia participativa, suggerisce la necessità di differenziare tra diversi tipi di reti così come di intendere Decidim, la piattaforma digitale di democrazia partecipativa promossa dal Comune di Barcellona, come uno spazio di costruzione di due nuovi tipi di rete.
The DECODE (DEcentralized Citizen Owned Data Ecosystems) project turns around three key realities at the core of the current data economy: echnological infrastructures (software and hardware), data, and social actors. It proposes a model of data ecosystems where, in opposition to the current data economy, citizens (both individually and collectively) own, govern, and make the most of their data1. In this deliverable we carry on two main tasks. Firstly and more importantly, we outline a preliminary framework for the democratic governance of distributed ledger technologies (or blockchains) such as DECODE. Otherwise, we focus upon the connection between social actors and DECODE technology, attending primarily to software. We leave the systematic consideration of the democratic governance of data for a later work (D2.5). Secondly, we look at some of the impacts that DECODE technology (specifically, in connection with the Decidim digital platform for participatory democracy) may have upon democratic governance in the network society. In order to accomplish the first task, we explore the various definitions, models and realities of governance as present in various literatures. We do so from a historical, conceptual and methodological viewpoints. We believe it is necessary to properly understand the genealogy and potentialities of this concept (and its linkages with the notions of government and governmentality) in order to explore politics today. Although we distinguish different strands of literature and policy making based on the notion of governance, probably the most relevant one for our exploration is the one tied to New Public Management and neoliberal policies since the 1980s. We also point towards alternative visions, which have called for a democratic governance of society that questions the centrality of representative democracy, corporations and the bureaucratic State: a tradition going from the New Left´s Port Huron Statement to the alter-globalization movement of the 2000s, up to offshoots of the more recent Occupy and 15M movements.
This Open Access book explains the philosophy, design principles, and community organization of Decidim and provides essential insights into how the platform works. Decidim is the world leading digital infrastructure for participatory democracy, built entirely and collaboratively as free software, and used by more than 500 institutions with over three million users worldwide. The platform allows any organization (government, association, university, NGO, neighbourhood, or cooperative) to support multitudinous processes of participatory democracy. In a context dominated by corporate-owned digital platforms, in the era of increasing social structuring via Artificial Intelligence, Decidim stands as a public or community owned platform for collective human intelligence. Yet, the project is much more than its technological features. Decidim is in itself a crossroad of the various dimensions of the networked society, a detailed practical map of its complexities and conflicts. The authors distinguish three general dimensions of the project: (1) the political - shedding light on the democratic model that Decidim promotes and its impact on public policies and organizations, (2) the technopolitical - explaining how this technology is democratically designed and managed to produce and protect certain political effects, and (3) the technical - presenting the conditions of production, operation, and success of the project. This book systematically covers those three levels in an academically sound, technologically consistent, and politically innovative manner. Serving as a useful resource and handbook for the use of Decidim, it will not only appeal to students and scholars interested in participatory and digital democracy but also to professionals, policy-makers, and a wider audience interested in learning more about the Decidim platform. This is an open access book.
Chapter 1. Decidim: A Brief Overview -- Chapter 2. The Political Plane: Decidim and the Vision of a Radically Democratic Society -- Chapter 3. The Technopolitical Plane: Decidim as a Democratic Software Paradigm -- Chapter 4. The Technical Plane: the Fabric of an Infrastructure -- Chapter 5. A Technopolitical Network for Participatory Democracy: The Future of a Collective Platform.
The emergence of networked social movements in 2011 has opened a new door in the social movement's literature. By adopting a technopolitical and situated approach, in this paper, we explore the case of the 15M movement three years after its formation in May 2011. Through an online survey and a nonprobabilistic sampling procedure, we pay special attention to the perceptions and opinions of the movement's participants. We distinguish seven thematic sections: the relationship with the movement, previous political participation and motivations, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the emotions experienced, the evolution of the movement, its influence on elections, and the impacts on several aspects of social life. The results show that the respondents (N=1320) are to a large extent adherent to the movement and largely prompted into action due to political issues. Also, they mostly believe that the movement remains alive yet in new forms, and perceived impacts on different areas, institutions, behaviours, and ideas. We conclude by describing 15M as a case that adequately fits the concept of a networked social movement. Finally, we suggest future steps in the understanding of these movements by further applying the online survey designed for this study and complementing analyses via other research methods. ; La aparición de movimientos sociales en red en 2011 ha abierto una nueva puerta en la literatura del movimiento social. Al adoptar un enfoque tecnopolítico y situado, en este documento, exploramos el caso del movimiento 15M tres años después de su formación en mayo de 2011. A través de una encuesta en línea y un procedimiento de muestreo no probabilístico, prestamos especial atención a las percepciones y opiniones del participantes del movimiento. Distinguimos siete secciones temáticas: la relación con el movimiento, la participación y motivaciones políticas previas, el uso de las tecnologías de información y comunicación (TIC), las emociones experimentadas, la evolución del movimiento, su influencia en las elecciones y los impactos en varios aspectos de la vida social. Los resultados muestran que los encuestados (N = 1320) se adhieren en gran medida al movimiento y, en gran parte, se los lleva a la acción debido a problemas políticos. Además, en su mayoría creen que el movimiento sigue vivo con nuevas formas e impactos percibidos en diferentes áreas, instituciones, comportamientos e ideas. Concluimos describiendo 15M como un caso que se ajusta adecuadamente al concepto de un movimiento social en red. Finalmente, sugerimos pasos futuros en la comprensión de estos movimientos mediante la aplicación de la encuesta en línea diseñada para este estudio y complementando los análisis a través de otros métodos de investigación. ; L'aparició de moviments socials en xarxa en 2011 ha obert una nova porta en la literatura del moviment social. En adoptar un enfocament tecnopolítico i situat, en aquest document, explorem el cas del moviment 15M tres anys després de la seva formació al maig de 2011. A través d'una enquesta en línia i un procediment de mostreig no probabilístic, prestem especial atenció a les percepcions i opinions del participants del moviment. Distingim set seccions temàtiques: la relació amb el moviment, la participació i motivacions polítiques prèvies, l'ús de les tecnologies d'informació i comunicació (TIC), les emocions experimentades, l'evolució del moviment, la seva influència en les eleccions i els impactes en diversos aspectes de la vida social. Els resultats mostren que els enquestats (N = 1320) s'adhereixen en gran manera al moviment i, en gran part, els hi porta a l'acció a causa de problemes polítics. A més, en la seva majoria creuen que el moviment segueix viu amb noves formes i impactes percebuts en diferents àrees, institucions, comportaments i idees. Concloem descrivint 15M com un cas que s'ajusta adequadament al concepte d'un moviment social en xarxa. Finalment, suggerim passos futurs en la comprensió d'aquests moviments mitjançant l'aplicació de l'enquesta en línia dissenyada per a aquest estudi i complementant les anàlisis a través d'altres mètodes de recerca.
The emergence of networked social movements in 2011 has opened a new door in the social movements' literature. By adopting a technopolitical and situated approach, in this paper, we explore the case of the Occupy Wall Street movement three years after its formation in September 2011. Through an online survey and a nonprobabilistic sampling procedure, we pay special attention to the perceptions and opinions of the movement's participants. We distinguish seven thematic sections: the relationship with the movement, previous political participation and motivations, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the emotions experienced, the evolution of the movement, its influence on institutional politics, and its impacts on several aspects of social life. The results show that the respondents (N=522) are overall adherent to the movement and that the majority participated at some point. Most think that the movement still exists in one way or another, and perceive its impact on several areas, institutions, behaviours, and ideas. We conclude by describing OWS as a case that adequately fits the concept of a networked social movement. Finally, we suggest further developments in the understanding of these movements by further applying the online survey designed for this study and complementing analyses via other research methods. ; La aparición de los movimientos sociales en red en 2011 ha abierto una nueva puerta en la literatura de los movimientos sociales. Al adoptar un enfoque tecnopolítico y situado, en este documento, exploramos el caso del movimiento Occupy Wall Street tres años después de su creación en septiembre de 2011. A través de una encuesta en línea y un procedimiento de muestreo no probabilístico, prestamos especial atención a las percepciones y opiniones de los participantes del movimiento. Distinguimos siete secciones temáticas: la relación con el movimiento, la participación y motivaciones políticas previas, el uso de las tecnologías de información y comunicación (TIC), las emociones experimentadas, la evolución del movimiento, su influencia en la política institucional y sus impactos en varios aspectos de la vida social. Los resultados muestran que los encuestados (N = 522) se adhieren en general al movimiento y que la mayoría participó en algún momento. La mayoría piensa que el movimiento todavía existe de una forma u otra, y perciben su impacto en varias áreas, instituciones, comportamientos e ideas. Concluimos describiendo OWS como un caso que encaja adecuadamente con el concepto de un movimiento social en red. Finalmente, sugerimos desarrollos adicionales en la comprensión de estos movimientos mediante la aplicación de la encuesta en línea diseñada para este estudio y complementando los análisis a través de otros métodos de investigación. ; L'aparició dels moviments socials en xarxa en 2011 ha obert una nova porta en la literatura dels moviments socials. En adoptar un enfocament tecnopolítico i situat, en aquest document, explorem el cas del moviment Occupy Wall Street tres anys després de la seva creació al setembre de 2011. A través d'una enquesta en línia i un procediment de mostreig no probabilístic, prestem especial atenció a les percepcions i opinions dels participants del moviment. Distingim set seccions temàtiques: la relació amb el moviment, la participació i motivacions polítiques prèvies, l'ús de les tecnologies d'informació i comunicació (TIC), les emocions experimentades, l'evolució del moviment, la seva influència en la política institucional i els seus impactes en diversos aspectes de la vida social. Els resultats mostren que els enquestats (N = 522) s'adhereixen en general al moviment i que la majoria va participar en algun moment. La majoria pensa que el moviment encara existeix d'una forma o una altra, i perceben el seu impacte a diverses àrees, institucions, comportaments i idees. Concloem descrivint OWS com un cas que encaixa adequadament amb el concepte d'un moviment social en xarxa. Finalment, suggerim desenvolupaments addicionals en la comprensió d'aquests moviments mitjançant l'aplicació de l'enquesta en línia dissenyada per a aquest estudi i complementant les anàlisis a través d'altres mètodes de recerca.
Comunicació presentada a la SocInfo 2017: 9th International Conference on Social Informatics, celebrada els dies 13 a 15 de setembre de 2017 a Oxford, Regne Unit. ; With the irruption of ICTs and the crisis of political representation, many online platforms have been developed with the aim of improving participatory democratic processes. However, regarding platforms for online petitioning, previous research has not found examples of how to effectively introduce discussions, a crucial feature to promote deliberation. In this study we focus on the case of Decidim Barcelona, the online participatory-democracy platform launched by the City Council of Barcelona in which proposals can be discussed with an interface that combines threaded discussions and comment alignment with the proposal. This innovative approach allows to examine whether neutral, positive or negative comments are more likely to generate discussion cascades. The results reveal that, with this interface, comments marked as negatively aligned with the proposal were more likely to engage users in online discussions and, therefore, helped to promote deliberative decision making. ; This work is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the María de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme (MDM-2015-0502).
With the irruption of ICTs and the crisis of political representation, many online platforms have been developed with the aim of improving participatory democratic processes. However, regarding platforms for online petitioning, previous research has not found examples of how to effectively introduce discussions, a crucial feature to promote deliberation. In this study we focus on the case of Decidim Barcelona, the online participatory-democracy platform launched by the City Council of Barcelona in which proposals can be discussed with an interface that combines threaded discussions and comment alignment with the proposal. This innovative approach allows to examine whether neutral, positive or negative comments are more likely to generate discussion cascades. The results reveal that, with this interface, comments marked as negatively aligned with the proposal were more likely to engage users in online discussions and, therefore, helped to promote deliberative decision making.
En 2015 decenas de plataformas municipalistas se presentaban a las elecciones municipales y obtenían resultados realmente inesperados: ganaban los ayuntamientos las de grandes ciudades como Barcelona, Madrid o Zaragoza y también de muchas otras, además de conseguir concejales en la oposición en otros tantos casos. El municipalismo se situaba así en el centro de la política del Estado español mediante lo que se considera hoy el asalto institucional de las herederas del 15M. Este libro analiza el ciclo municipalista 2015-2019 y lo hace a través de un horizonte común, la ciudad democrática, hacia el cual camina un proyecto que aprende haciendo. Las autoras sitúan y analizan la irrupción del municipalismo, analizan críticamente diferentes políticas públicas transformadoras e innovadoras implementadas por y en las 'ciudades del cambio' en ámbitos como la tecnopolítica o los bienes comunes y también cuentan cómo las nuevas organizaciones y redes municipalistas han intentado, con mayor o menor éxito, cambiar las formas de hacer política para volverlas más feministas, horizontales y democráticas.
