The nature of citizen-government interaction is changing. Rhetorically familiar terms like Gov 2.0 and participatory democracy have emerged to describe this shift. Yet for all the exciting developments, from projects like SeeClickFix to OpenStreetMaps, we have yet to formalize an approach for institutions looking to leverage social media in the design and function of government bureaucracies. A critical next step in ‘social media for social change’ will be the maturation of these tools and their expanded, formalized use in political engagement and the delivery of critical services.

“Citizen 2.0: Social Media and the Future of Participatory Government” is thus a conversation not of what’s and why’s, but of when’s and how’s. Hosted by Reboot, this timely session will discuss how to bake the capacities of social media deeply inside government service delivery and policymaking here in the United States and abroad.

Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa have demonstrated the power of social media to both bolster and hinder social progress. While the scope, urgency, and scale of reform differ in every context, the past weeks have demonstrated that governance reform does not evolve in geographic or ideological isolation.

Can governments use social media to harness citizen wisdom and better serve their needs? Likewise, how do citizens use new technologies to help realize the society they seek?

Our panelists will share their first-hand experiences from the frontlines of change. They will share their successes, hopefully some of their failures, and emerging best practices. A brief snapshot of the panelists and the perspective they’ll bring to the conversation:

• Ryan Brack, Online Communications Director at the NYC Department of Education, plays a key role in setting the strategy for social media tools, policies, and innovations within the Bloomberg administration.
• Marci Harris is the CEO of PopVox, an exciting new platform for citizen-to-legislature interaction. She also spent years on Capitol Hill working inside government to develop new forms of political engagement.
• Tom Lee, Director of Sunlight Labs (and formerly of EchoDitto), is actively leading the movement that is building the tools, datasets, and community necessary to create the government platforms of the future.
• Katherine Maher is an Information and Communication Technology Specialist at the National Democratic Institute. Her work there, and previously at UNICEF, has focused on the effective application of social media in international development and governance.
• Nancy Scola is the Associate Editor at Personal Democracy Forum and PDF’s techPresident and she also contributes to American Prospects’s TAPPED. She’s been one of the leading voices on the role of social media in changing politics and government.

Moderated by Zack Brisson, co-founder of Reboot.

Following panelist presentations, a hands-on session will have panelists and attendees working together to develop actionable ‘products’ for more participatory, accountable, and effective governance. The brainstorming will be documented, and recommendations will be distilled, published, and distributed to those with the power to act upon them.

We hope you’ll join us, you can register here. If you want to remotely join the conversation the day of the event, we’ll have a LIvestream feed up on this page. You can also join in via Twitter, we’ll be watching at #Citizen2 or send messages to @TheReboot.

Event Details

“Citizen 2.0: Social Media and the Future of Participatory Government”
Monday, February 7
Noon to 2pm
Paley Center for Media (25 West 52nd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue)