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/RSS FeedNote:
This is the audio version of an online event, in which a couple of the speakers refer to visual elements. If you’d like to see the websites, etc, that they mention, please see the video of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvJVCgBprwY.
Details:
Across the world, there are many websites and apps that help citizens to better understand how their democracies work, and what their elected representatives are doing on their behalf.
Historically, one of the main ways these tools could measure their impact was by tracking their visitor numbers and page views via website analytics tools.
However, across the world, civic and pro-democracy tech projects are finding that citizens can’t, or no longer, directly visit their websites and apps. They’re either restricted by data packages that only allow them to use social media sites, or are finding out information via AI chatbots or social media, rather than directly visiting sites and apps.
This shift can make it harder than ever to measure the reach and impact of pro-democracy projects and tools. Traditional website analytics no longer tell the full story, leaving some projects struggling to demonstrate their effectiveness—and, as a result, to secure the funding needed to sustain vital democratic services.
At this TICTeC gathering, we hear directly from practitioners running civic and pro-democracy tech initiatives from across the world. They share the strategies they’re using to reach people where they are, ensure their services remain accessible and relevant, and find new ways to track impact in this changing digital landscape.
Ana Arevadze from ForSet in Georgia talks about their work with social media influencers to inform and educate Georgian youth on voting and democratic information.
Ufuoma Nnamdi-Udeh from Enough is Enough Nigeria shares how they have leveraged social media, chatbots, and messaging services through their ShineYourEye platform to provide citizens with accurate democratic information and improve access to elected representatives.
Joseph Tahinduka from ParliamentWatch Uganda speaks about working with infomediaries such as local radio and journalists to get parliamentary information to a wider audience, as well as their usage of social media and messaging apps.
More information
This is a TICTEC Communities of Practice session. Find out more about TICTeC at https://tictec.mysociety.org/.
Sign up for TICTeC updates at https://tictec.mysociety.org/events/ or subscribe to updates about all mySoicety activities by telling us what you’re interested in at http://eepurl.com/gOEVFj.
Transcript
Alex Parsons 0:01
Hi everyone. I’m Alex Parsons.Alex Parsons 0:02
I’m the Democracy Lead and senior researcher at mySociety. Thank you for joining us here for this TICTeC community gathering. (more…) -
Once again, the TICTeC Communities of Practice have given us all the opportunity to learn from those at the frontline of civic tech: this week’s session, Beyond websites: how pro-democracy projects reach their audiences saw practitioners from Georgia, Nigeria and Uganda explaining the ways in which you can engage with audiences beyond a website.
You can watch the session here.
Ana Arevadze from ForSet explained the care and attention that the organisation put into making sure that an election education campaign, delivered by influencers, was a learning experience for all involved. This was a presentation that a small group of people had been fortunate to experience at the ATI Day in Mechelen, but is now available for all to watch.
Ufuoma Oghuwu from Enough is Enough Nigeria outlined how the Shine Your Eye website provides citizens with information about their elected officials — something that’s often missing after the canvassing and electoral cycle has passed — and then described how that information has a life beyond the website, thanks to chatbots, WhatsApp and social media.
Last but not least, Joseph Tahinduka of ParliamentWatch Uganda shared the fantastic efforts they go to to make parliamentary activity accessible to the social media generation, who so greatly prefer short videos to trawling through lengthy reports. Is it time for all of us to start getting onto TikTok? You’ll have to watch to find out!
Sit back and enjoy the video: there was so much to learn from our speakers, and we’re glad to be able to share their insights with our networks.
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On 21st November we will host a seminar at the House of Lords exploring how digital tools are being used in Sub-Saharan Africa to bring parliaments and citizens closer together.
During the seminar, we will be launching our Parliaments and the People: Digital Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa report, which presents the findings from an extensive and in-depth research study into digital democracy across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. This research explores the use of digital channels and platforms in communicating political information in the region, and considers the implications for future development in digital and institution-building.
The report analyses the breadth of digital political engagement in the countries studied, and identifies key structural and cultural considerations that influence whether digital solutions to improving democratic engagement, transparency and accountability in governing institutions will be successful.
The findings of this report are more relevant than ever to those interested and involved in international development and institution-building, through which policy implementations digital solutions are being increasingly embedded.
The seminar will bring together researchers, policy makers and practitioners to discuss how the insights from this and other work can be integrated into policy, engagement and future development work.
Speakers:
- Hosted by Lord Purvis of Tweed & Mark Cridge, CEO mySociety
- Dr Rebecca Rumbul, Head of Research, mySociety (Report author)
- Gemma Moulder, Partnership Development Manager, mySociety (Report author)
- Paul Lenz, Trust Executive, Indigo Trust
- Julia Keutgen, Parliamentary Development Advisor, Westminster Foundation for Democracy
- Two further speakers will be announced soon.
Date/time: 21st November 4pm – 6pm.
As capacity is limited, attendance to the event is by invitation only. If you’re interested in attending please email to request an invite and we’ll let you know full details.
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