Space Mixing and Virtual Worlds in the Public Sector

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/04/marines.social.media.ban/index.html

The article ‘Marines ban Twitter, Facebook, other sites” by Noah Shachtman, presents an interesting dilemma in the use of social media. The Marine Corps issued an order banning the use of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites from its network because they present a great security risk, due to the possibility of malicious code from adversaries. Such actions meet with surprise as commanders regularly blog updates from the battlefield, and the Department of Defense is launching a new home page with interactive social media tools. As such, certain waivers will be issued if there is a “mission critical” need for the use of social media.

Social media use on the battlefield is a great example of the mixing of personal, professional, and private spaces. Marines use Facebook to connect with family members and maintain continuity while they are overseas. This personal medium is a lifeline for many marines, though as referenced in the article, can be a medium for hackers to infiltrate and access sensitive information. By blogging about important troop and resource information, commanders are vulnerable to outside enemy actions in accessing confidential military tactics.

I do not think social media planners ever anticipated this basic communication would become a dangerous method of warfare. These private spaces affect professional conduct, and personal correspondence can indicate location, troop activity, and other sensitive information. I believe the Marine Corps has a responsibility to adhere to this order at all costs, with the exception of use in rare occasions. If lives are at risk, the use of social media should not be encouraged. Fortunately, this mix of personal and private spaces is not as detrimental in civilian life.

Use of Virtual Worlds

Public administrators encounter diverse issues and challenges as they attempt to create public value in their service and operations. Given the transparent mentality of public agencies, public administrators have a responsibility to connect with citizens, and inform of new policies and proposals. Given this recent social media revolution, officials and department heads need to understand how their local constituents interact, and participate accordingly. One important medium is the utilization of virtual worlds, such as Second Life or Warcraft, to create a sense of community with others. Although unique, virtual worlds create additional challenges to public administrators as they operate to understand political, social, and economic viewpoints.

Traditional city council meetings no longer elicit much participation from citizens. Although important information is discussed, many local citizens feel more confident offering their opinions via social media sites as opposed to in person. This creates a problem for elected officials because they need to address every facet of an issue or ordinance, and if there is no interaction with the public, no response will be given until something negative impacts an individual. Demographics are also an important consideration in the communication problem as not everyone has access to the internet or other communication mediums. As such, what methods should elected officials devote time and effort to utilizing?

Social media is currently playing an important role in local government by shaping how officials interact and publicize their ideas. Many council meetings are televised, and minutes are updated on municipality websites. Officials have Twitter accounts, and update ideas and reactions from meetings almost instantly. Councilmembers also have Facebook accounts where they post pictures, interesting links, and events in which they are involved. City websites are posting links to new social media features, and their sites in general are becoming more user-friendly. As such, officials are attempting to appeal to a large demographic base through new technology.

The use of virtual worlds in connecting with citizens is a new and largely unfamiliar social method. This approach should be useful as access to this source is becoming more available. In referencing chapter 7 of Code 2.0, Lessig discusses constraints of law, norms, market, and architecture, and their presence as regulation tools on the use of virtual worlds in public sector communication. Internet and program laws regulate how much sensitive public information can be disseminated through a virtual world. Social norms create a stigma of virtual worlds that they are used only by intense gamers, not every day citizens. As such, norms govern how people may behave on the site. Market plays an important role in that Second Life and other sites govern access and charge for certain functions of participation. The site itself is designed through its architecture to guide people to certain places and forums, thus facilitating possible interaction between officials and citizens.

With these regulations influencing the use of virtual worlds, elected officials can create public forums where citizens will be more likely to contribute. This can be used as an interactive, real-time blog, where everyone is welcome, regardless of his or her demographic situation. Problems may arise as to validity of information and issues of reality in the political process. Regardless of those challenges, officials can foster an environment of collaboration, assuming security measures are in place. Virtual worlds create opportunities for developing a community spirit, and users will benefit from free interaction.

Videos, Second Life, and Meet Up

Meetup.com     

I really enjoyed searching for activities on meetup.com.  To me, this is an extension of Facebook in that the site is strictly for activities only, and seeks to make connections based on common interests.

            Among various activities analyzed, I joined the Valley Movie Group, a local group that plans to go to movies, and then meet up afterwards to discuss the movies and other opinions.  I love to watch and go to the movies, though it is difficult to find people who share common movie interests.  Additionally, one of the members purchases tickets in advance in bulk, thus saving money for those involved because he gets a discount.  This group is found at http://www.meetup.com/valleymoviegroup/.

            I think the idea of meetup.com is amazing because people get together sharing a common interest, though can end up discussing other topics and activities.  The group is very participative as well, as each group member can suggest certain movies or activities.  

Second Life

I was surprised as to the assignment to join either Second Life or World of Warcraft.  I can see how these programs are social networking mediums, though the idea of fantasy is foreign to me.  As such, I created a profile and account on Second Life.  This was more interesting to me because Dwight, a character from The Office, spent hours a day playing second life, a fact Jim used to his advantage.  Here are my thoughts based on the questions specified for the module:

• How do you learn to participate in these worlds

Second Life is very difficult to learn and navigate at first.  The corresponding toolbars are very user-friendly, though the other participants help in trying to figure out what to do and where to go.  No matter where you go in the program, you can chat with other players nearby.  In creating the account, the program prompts you to design your avatar and guides you through to different places.  Accordingly, a great deal of the game for me was self-taught.

• What choices were made for interacting with others, navigating the world

Choices were available at inception of the program.  Before you can choose a place to fly, walk, or teleport to, there are other players right near you to help answer questions.  The toolbars also prompt you to changes your gestures, how you walk, and to modify your profile as needed. 

• How does the information that is available to you influence your experience, this includes both the tutorials and what is present in the interface

The available information helps you to navigate easily and discover new places in the Second Life World.  Each place has a small icon with a glimpse into the world and the corresponding people found there.  The main question I have while walking to different places is how and why is this important?  I can see how this can be used as an opportunity to meet other people, but why have a fictitious place to do so?  What am I supposed to do while in Second Life?  I think the site itself is easy to navigate with helpful guides.  I guess the focus is on going to new places to meet people with whom you would never associate with through other social media functions.

• What is on the websites that support these worlds

The secondlife.com website is a virtual store where you can discover different places, learn more about Second Life, and discover new communities and events.  The most interesting feature is the “buy land” option where you can purchase real estate in Second Life.  While navigating through these different places, you can earn money to be used for these various purchases.  There are also interactive blogs to which users can contribute.

            Based on my brief experience in navigating Second Life, I can see how such a program can be very addicting.  I have only heard about World of Warcraft and the dangers people can encounter by spending too much time in these virtual reality programs.  Although Second Life is more realistic, it is still time-consuming.  It was interesting, however, to experience it.

Videos

            I really enjoyed the required videos for the assignment this week.  The main theme I encountered from the videos is that social media is being utilized to connect individuals across racial, economic, and social boundaries.  

            The TED video with Chris Anderson was interesting because it showed the power of using video in online streaming.  He mentioned how video data required a great deal of streaming capability to load, but is now the most common form of expression in social networks.  I liked how he shared the experience of amateur filmmakers in Kenya, and how they use social media to show the world their environment.  Such actions may encourage others to assist in alleviating poverty in third world nations.  Chris also mentions how viral media is connecting people throughout the world.  The TED video series is seen in many nations, encouraging participations from thousands who would never have experienced such connections and sharing of ideas.

            The Jamie Heywood piece was particularly impactful for me as I recently lost a family member to cancer.  His patientslikeme.com project is a great way for people with similar illnesses to connect and share their successes and failures with treatments, life, etc.  It is like a medical Facebook, and creates a medical forum to discuss prescriptions, periods, and other experiences.  I like how Jamie was inspired to do this site, given his brother had passed away from a debilitating illness.  It is clear he cares not about his notoriety, but in giving patients the chance and opportunity to express how they feel.

            I honestly have never seen a video quite like “The Empathetic Civilization.”  The use of drawings and words to express the idea of existentialism is unique.  The video touches on very significant issues: among the most significant to me is that empathy is grounded in the knowledge of death and the celebration of life.  The idea of the empathetic civilization is that we demonstrate solidarity knowing we have one and only life on this planet.  This conflicts with other religious views, but shows the reasons why we need to be kind to one another.  My favorite quote was “we extend our identities to think of the human race as our fellow sojourners.”  This is a very complicated topic, but I thought the presentation in the video was very fun to watch.

Implications in Public Administration

            The assignments this week focused on how social media is creating more unique ways to connect with others.  The impact of viral media is evident in that ideas are expressed regardless of social or economic standing.  People from all backgrounds have the opportunity to enact real change through social media.  

            Public administrators need to embrace every social medium to connect with their constituents.  The infinite amount of data that exists is more accessible now more than ever, and public agencies need to adapt to changing technology.  Cities can benefit from more interactive sites, such as www.patientslikeme.com.  In doing so, citizens can be involved directly with policy and services, while learning about new communication techniques. 

Article Analysis: Regulation and Speed Limits

I chose to analyze the article “Can Roads Control Your Driving? The Truth About Safety-Enhancing Road Design,” posted in the Infrastructurist on March 23, 2011, by Yonah Freemark.  This article addresses the impact of unique transportation engineering on traffic flow and accidents.  A study conducted by the University of Connecticut theorizes that minor reductions in speed are possible through changes in the street environment.  The main issue addressed in the article is that American drivers are twice as likely than European drivers to die in a car accident.  As such, researchers are looking at implementing European road design features to reduce traffic fatalities.  Possible approaches such as roadside parking, building setbacks, and other commercial land uses subconsciously encourage drivers to drive slower.  The author also cites the presence narrow lanes and street trees that result in drivers responding with slower traffic speeds as alternatives to conventional American engineering practices. 

American engineers focus on different alternatives to this European approach.  They tend to favor the idea of “forgiving highways,” with generous curve radii and wider lanes to account for driver mistakes.  These efforts have been successful for interstate highways, but are less successful in urban areas.  Correlating to discussions on regulation, Lawrence Lessig contends “just as government can act to strengthen…social norm constraints, it should be obvious that government can also act to weaken them” (p. 131).  As such, the impact of regulation in terms of traffic control is difficult to perceive because of unique geographic areas.  Additionally, Yonah Freemark also cites higher driver speed limits in suburban areas where there are fewer distractions. 

There are a number of issues addresses in this article that present conflicting viewpoints.  In order to facilitate statistics, researchers must present a stereotype of drivers.  Additionally, in looking at driver environment vs. driving speeds, researchers must take into account any externalities, such as weather, vehicle type, number of vehicle passengers, and others.  Lawrence Lessig asserts, “the policy maker must assess the net effect- whether on the whole…regulations reduce or increase social costs” (p. 132). Those social costs are crucial in this analysis of transportation engineering because they have profound effects on how fast vehicles travel, regardless of street environments. 

One prominent value contradiction referenced in this article is that of personal liberty vs. political satisfaction.  Drivers utilize certain routes because of higher speed limits and fewer distractions.  Any subconscious alteration of a route represents too much government involvement over personal freedoms.  Additionally, there is a conflict between mandates vs. fund appropriation, specifically how localities will implement such a broad reengineering program with limited resources.  Without directly implementing programs, the government runs the risk of demonstrating misdirection.  Code 2.0 references this practice by asserting, “when a government uses other structures of constraint to effect a constraint it could impose directly, it muddles the responsibility for that constraint and so undermines political accountability” (p. 133).  Although the statistics of European transportation engineering are conclusive, municipalities already struggle with decreasing revenues to operate, and may not benefit from roundabout federal or state intervention. 

As discussed in Code 2.0, the four constraints of law, norms, markets, and architecture are “distinct, yet they are plainly interdependent” (p. 124).  In referencing the issue of transportation engineering, each constraint is prevalent in regards to solving speed limit problems. 

As such, the following alternative will decrease traffic fatalities while offering options to commuters:

In a specific locality, implement a testing zone regulated and monitored by the city council to experiment with altered traffic environments.  The area is to remain unknown to the public, though the initiative is to be approved by local citizens as a means to procure publicity and transparency.  To ensure maximum results, the council should select a one-mile stretch of urban roadway to plant large trees and park areas.  The speed limit will be reduced by five miles/hour, and vehicle types and numbers will be analyzed over a one-month period.  The ultimate goal of the experiment is to assess the number of fatalities, and whether the environment and speed alterations deterred or encouraged more drivers to pass through the urban roadway.  If successful results are witnessed, the locality could implement more large-scale changes to enact long-term traffic modifications.

                This model is useful in describing the impact of this transportation engineering option.  Although this idea utilizes practices from other European counterparts, the initial planning addresses voter concerns and ensures publicity to avoid implications against personal liberty.

Law:      The experimental roadway stretch is monitored and governed by the locality through speed limit reductions.  Local citizens approve of the implementation of this process through an initiative, thought they are unaware of the specific location of the analyzed roadway.  This does not conflict with personal liberty because they approve of the experiment.  As discussed by Lessig, “…law continues to threaten a certain consequence if it is defied” (p. 124).  As such, punishments will be similar to any other traffic violation.

Norms:  If traffic fatalities are reduced in this roadway stretch, local citizens will become accustomed to new environments, thus altering their driving behavior.  Lessig contends, “norms constrain through the stigma that a community imposes” (p. 124).  This constraint will meet with short-term disagreement, as local citizens will have to alter their driving.  However, they will come to expect this new safety level, and fatalities will decrease.

Markets:  In a sense, the locality is charging citizens in time by decreasing speed limits.  This charge, however, is paid back to the citizens through decreased traffic incidents.  Lessig theorizes, “these behaviors are all a function of market constraints and market opportunity” (p. 124).  The locality benefits by providing landscapes to the roadways, thus increasing competition among private contractors. 

Architecture:  This roadway design of landscaped roadways and decreased speed limits makes possible values of safe driving.  Lessig asserts, “they constrain some behavior by making other behavior possible or impossible” (p. 125).  This regulates speeding by lowering the speed limit and creating an indirect distraction.  It is design to modify behavior to have lasting effects.

This alternative addresses the concerns raised by the conflicting values indirectly referenced in this article.  Lawrence Lessig references the choice of residence and its relation to personal liberty.  On page 135, he theorizes, “individuals choose to live in one neighborhood rather than another.  In a strict sense, that is correct, but their choices are made in the face of costs that the state has imposed.”  By having citizen input in regards to the most pressing areas in need of traffic alterations, citizens show pride in their community, and determine where safety is most lacking.  This results in long-term satisfaction and changing demographics that result from simple changes in traffic flow. 

                In general, I agree with the basic premise of the article.  The author poses an appropriate question: “will it be enough to dissuade states from continuing to fund suburban arterials that weave through residential neighborhoods and allow drivers to move at high speeds?”  The wide-lane American highways are a unique alternative to curbing traffic incidents, though speed remains the key issue.  The author fails to explain how logistics would be addressed.  As such, I feel my alternative incorporates the success of European models by implementing ideas of city management and voter approval.  Doing so will regulate driving and elicit input from citizens so as not to decrease personal liberty. 

References

Lessig, Lawrence (2006).  Code: Version 2.0.  New York City, New York: Basic Books.

Reaction to fellow ePA Classmate Post

I had a great time looking at the various blogs from other class members this week.  Given the variability of professions of persons in the class, everyone seems to have a unique viewpoint on the necessity of social media in both the public and private sectors, and the future of work as discussed by Malone.  One point referenced by Zack Wolfe in the class particularly caught my attention, and I hope he doesn't mind that I quote him here:

"Employees are now more educated and less jobs require manual labor due to the automation feats of new technologies. Thus employees have individual ideas and perspectives that are grounded in educational theories and need less micromanaging. This opens opportunities for individual creativity and responsive interactions."

I think this is an excellent point for managers to realize in creating a more collaborative atmosphere in the workplace.  As Zack mentions, managers can more feasibly trust the input from their subordinates because the working class is largely more educated.  Technology provides more independence to employees and the atmosphere now is more based on email and social media to connect and share ideas and plans.

I also believe technology has allowed employees in both sectors to become more educated.  Social media provides a forum for people to be, at least, well informed on current events and ideas.  As others in the class have mentioned, open forums through shared spaces are great locations to educate and inform, though it places a great deal of trust in colleagues.

I really enjoyed all the posts everyone shared this week.  It appears a lot of us are new to these various social media tools, though I am anxious to use them more.