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A short presentation I was asked to make at the EU's economic and social committee in May 2012. It was a slidecast (PPT synched with audio recorded at the event) until Slideshare removed the audio ;(, . Original accompanying post here: http://mathew.blogactiv.eu/2012/05/09/introducing-the-brussels-bubble-to-some-of-its-denizens-rtfb-part-2/
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Do we have a European Online Public Sphere?
Mathew Lowry, GOPA-Cartermill
@mathewlowry
mathew.blogactiv.eu
We do have an EU Public Sphere
The Brussels Bubble
(#bxlsbbl)
If …
• you know – what EUR-LEX is– how to navigate EUROPA
• you’ve already forgotten – what ‘subsidiarity’ means– what the EESC is– how many Presidents there are
• … then you’re in the Brussels Bubble– Communities no longer bounded geographically
So what’s a Bubble?
• “a community of people who share a common interest or passion”
• Professional and/orPersonal interest
• Commonly:– Knowledge, Jargon– Personal networks– Groupthink?
Community of Interest
Science
Butterflycollecting
Antiques
Hi Fi
“Everyone’s Interested in Something”
EU Affairs
Putting things in perspective
#bxlsbbl!
The EU online public sphere emerges …
EurogeeksThe Brussels
BubbleBloggers
Facebook to the rescue!
Social media will– reconnect the EU to its citizens– revitalise democracy– solve the energy crisis – bring world peace– repair your fridge
Don’t vote for it, LikeTM it!Like a EuroCrat today!
BloggingPortal.eu: mapping the EU Online Public Sphere
• 950+ blogs• EU-oriented posts
– Categorised– Rated– Disseminated onwards
• Volunteer
… and grows somewhat
EurogeeksThe Brussels
BubbleBloggers
Social platformdenizens
A subset of the Brussels Bubble
• Community of Interest• EuroGeeks
– Speciality: EU Affairs– Social media
• Smaller than the Brussels Bubble• Talking to themselves
Bridges in the Blogosphere
EU Online Public Sphere
• Infrastructure: carries the conversation• Media landscape:
– Sustainable & Independent• Not created by decree• Ecology: emerges when conditions right
– participants get something out of it– in return for putting something into it
• Faces vicious cycle (chicken & egg) problem
Many ways to build bridges
Outreach: Europe Joining specialist conversations
National conversation on a specialist topic
Everyone’s interested in something
Europe Curating & Convening cross-EU conversations
National conversation on a specialist topic
Everyone’s interested in something
Networks Help
• Building bridges on existing relationships easier– access national-level communities of interest– bring EU expertise
• So is the EESC well placed to – Convene, Stimulate & Facilitate– Cross-EU conversations on EU policies?
