WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.959 The Internet's Missing Link: Tools for Turning Talk Into Action 00:00:03.959 --> 00:00:06.129 Ben Knight 00:00:06.129 --> 00:00:09.219 Personal Democracy Forum 2014 00:00:09.219 --> 00:00:15.698 Thanks a lot Micheal and thanks everyone 00:00:12.639 --> 00:00:17.179 for having me this very faraway place. 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:23.198 A few years ago I started a PhD 00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:26.289 researching the evolution of 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:28.269 collective intelligence and humans. 00:00:26.289 --> 00:00:31.630 I was really obsessed with this 00:00:28.269 --> 00:00:33.790 one question which was why is it that 00:00:31.630 --> 00:00:35.710 humans as far as we know are the only 00:00:33.790 --> 00:00:38.650 species that's getting collectively more 00:00:35.710 --> 00:00:40.840 and more intelligent over time ? With 00:00:38.650 --> 00:00:42.519 every generation we're able to do things 00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:47.440 that are more complex than the previous 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:49.660 generation. Naturally I was 00:00:47.440 --> 00:00:51.670 sent to Texas and ended up working with 00:00:49.660 --> 00:00:53.679 chimpanzees, teaching them to use 00:00:51.670 --> 00:00:58.450 touch screens so to try and get to the 00:00:53.680 --> 00:01:01.150 the bottom of this. 00:00:58.450 --> 00:01:03.160 The question that i was asking every 00:01:01.150 --> 00:01:05.500 night when I went home from the primate 00:01:03.160 --> 00:01:07.030 Center I'd open my computer and I'd see 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:09.549 all this evidence of things going 00:01:07.030 --> 00:01:12.159 seriously wrong in the world. 00:01:09.549 --> 00:01:14.979 Things like ecosystem collapse, 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:17.649 out-of-control extractive economy on a 00:01:14.979 --> 00:01:19.509 global scale and income inequality just 00:01:17.649 --> 00:01:21.999 going through the roof and everywhere 00:01:19.509 --> 00:01:24.100 you look. My initial research 00:01:21.999 --> 00:01:27.490 question was pushed out by a much more 00:01:24.100 --> 00:01:29.259 urgent question which is how is it that 00:01:27.490 --> 00:01:29.949 if we're getting so much smarter all the 00:01:29.259 --> 00:01:31.869 time 00:01:29.950 --> 00:01:33.880 how is it that our biggest institutions 00:01:31.869 --> 00:01:36.850 are just behaving in a way that's less and 00:01:33.880 --> 00:01:39.039 less intelligent. So unintelligent 00:01:36.850 --> 00:01:42.908 that it's putting the future of the 00:01:39.039 --> 00:01:45.729 planet and everyone on it at risk. 00:01:42.909 --> 00:01:47.889 The internet has been heralded for 00:01:45.729 --> 00:01:50.799 decades now as a potentially 00:01:47.889 --> 00:01:52.990 transformative force. In terms of 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:55.090 accumulating knowledge and making 00:01:52.990 --> 00:01:57.339 communication instantaneous and 00:01:55.090 --> 00:01:59.740 accessible at connecting people more 00:01:57.340 --> 00:02:01.179 than they've ever been connected. And it 00:01:59.740 --> 00:02:03.399 really does have that potential when you 00:02:01.179 --> 00:02:05.859 see things like Wikipedia which we take 00:02:03.399 --> 00:02:08.830 for granted every day where a group of 00:02:05.859 --> 00:02:10.780 people have set up to to make the sum 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:13.120 total of all human knowledge accessible 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:18.040 to anyone anywhere. And they're doing it 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:20.140 and it's amazing. That brings up 00:02:18.040 --> 00:02:22.480 another question which is 00:02:20.140 --> 00:02:25.269 you know if this is the case, why has the 00:02:22.480 --> 00:02:28.030 internet not helped in terms of, you know, 00:02:25.270 --> 00:02:29.590 our largest institutions behaving in a 00:02:28.030 --> 00:02:32.500 severely unintelligent way that's 00:02:29.590 --> 00:02:36.280 putting everything at risk. 00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:39.190 Well at the moment, the internet feels 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:41.620 like immensely powerful but 00:02:39.190 --> 00:02:43.030 disembodied brain. You hear this metaphor 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:45.310 a lot about the internet being like this 00:02:43.030 --> 00:02:47.020 distributed global brain. At the moment 00:02:45.310 --> 00:02:49.989 it feels like it's sort of floating off 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:52.959 somewhere in space disconnected from the 00:02:49.989 --> 00:02:55.209 distributed global body or like the 00:02:52.959 --> 00:02:57.820 limbs in the physical world that are 00:02:55.209 --> 00:03:00.550 deeply impacting on our environment. 00:02:57.820 --> 00:03:02.890 That's where the big institutions are 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:05.769 coming. The things that really affect 00:03:02.890 --> 00:03:08.920 our ecology and our living 00:03:05.769 --> 00:03:11.170 conditions on a huge scale. These are 00:03:08.920 --> 00:03:14.500 things without a brain. Theses are huge 00:03:11.170 --> 00:03:17.470 institutions driven by self-interest and 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:20.140 without anyone really at the helm. 00:03:17.470 --> 00:03:21.910 Just driven by these processes 00:03:20.140 --> 00:03:23.649 that would we've put in place over decades 00:03:21.910 --> 00:03:25.989 and totally disconnected from this 00:03:23.650 --> 00:03:27.310 amazing wealth of collective 00:03:25.989 --> 00:03:32.110 intelligence that's increasing 00:03:27.310 --> 00:03:34.329 exponentially. In 2011 something 00:03:32.110 --> 00:03:37.209 really interesting started happening. 00:03:34.329 --> 00:03:38.980 I have been sitting in Texas getting so 00:03:37.209 --> 00:03:41.590 disillusioned with the slow pace of 00:03:38.980 --> 00:03:44.590 academic research, translating into 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:46.060 real-world impact that I started feeling 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:48.130 more and more guilt. I've started feeling 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:50.260 irresponsible for pouring my life into 00:03:48.130 --> 00:03:53.170 this academic pursuit that was 00:03:50.260 --> 00:03:54.730 interesting but just felt so slow 00:03:53.170 --> 00:03:56.500 compared to the urgency of the problems 00:03:54.730 --> 00:03:59.500 we're facing. So I came back to New 00:03:56.500 --> 00:04:01.630 Zealand and i got involved in grassroots 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:04.299 community organizing and social justice 00:04:01.630 --> 00:04:06.280 activism. I just felt this real need 00:04:04.299 --> 00:04:09.880 to connect with real people in real 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:12.760 communities. Then in 2011, 00:04:09.880 --> 00:04:14.950 largely through social media 00:04:12.760 --> 00:04:16.418 seeing as many people 00:04:14.950 --> 00:04:18.130 in this room would have experienced 00:04:16.418 --> 00:04:20.589 seeing these images flooding through 00:04:18.130 --> 00:04:21.579 all the new kind of social movement a 00:04:20.589 --> 00:04:23.169 social movement that looked 00:04:21.579 --> 00:04:25.960 distinctively different to anything I've 00:04:23.169 --> 00:04:28.150 seen before. Starting in Tunisia 00:04:25.960 --> 00:04:29.799 in january 2011 and then 00:04:28.150 --> 00:04:31.659 spreading through to the arab spring 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:33.300 protests in Egypt and then the 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:35.310 indignados and 15M mouvements 00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:36.840 in Latin America and Spain and then 00:04:35.310 --> 00:04:39.569 the Occupy movement and Wall Street 00:04:36.840 --> 00:04:42.030 starting in Wall Street and then spreading 00:04:39.569 --> 00:04:44.370 to literally hundreds of cities around 00:04:42.030 --> 00:04:48.960 the world even as far away as New 00:04:44.370 --> 00:04:51.270 Zealand. So this felt to me and I'm sure 00:04:48.960 --> 00:04:53.250 to many other people here like the first 00:04:51.270 --> 00:04:56.460 time the internet had spoken out into 00:04:53.250 --> 00:04:59.520 the real world. The first time this 00:04:56.460 --> 00:05:02.310 sort of massive interconnexion had lead 00:04:59.520 --> 00:05:05.698 people in really large numbers to get 00:05:02.310 --> 00:05:07.139 out on the streets. And so if this is 00:05:05.699 --> 00:05:08.550 the first time the Internet has really 00:05:07.139 --> 00:05:11.250 spoken 00:05:08.550 --> 00:05:13.289 what do you think its first word was ? 00:05:11.250 --> 00:05:14.729 The internet more than anything else 00:05:13.289 --> 00:05:16.318 that was seen in the last few years has 00:05:14.729 --> 00:05:18.810 provided this massive infrastructure 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:20.639 immensely powerful for mobilizing huge 00:05:18.810 --> 00:05:24.300 numbers of people to come together and 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:25.050 all say no at once. But then what 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:26.909 happened ? 00:05:25.050 --> 00:05:30.719 We were sort of left with this 00:05:26.909 --> 00:05:32.699 situation this vacuum once the 00:05:30.719 --> 00:05:35.550 oppressive regime has been deposed once 00:05:32.699 --> 00:05:38.669 the petition has been successful 00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:40.169 the sort of once something's been 00:05:38.669 --> 00:05:41.250 taken away when you mobilized in 00:05:40.169 --> 00:05:44.909 opposition to something 00:05:41.250 --> 00:05:48.120 how do you then transition to sustain 00:05:44.909 --> 00:05:51.090 constructive collective action ? So how do 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:53.849 we get from this situation to this 00:05:51.090 --> 00:05:57.119 situation how do we get from the angry 00:05:53.849 --> 00:05:59.550 infant that doesn't say yes until 00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:03.000 they're you know six months further down 00:05:59.550 --> 00:06:05.370 the track ? And how do we sort of take 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:07.919 this mass of information that we're all 00:06:05.370 --> 00:06:10.800 exchanging at an ever-increasing pace 00:06:07.919 --> 00:06:14.580 and translate it into constructive 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:17.940 generative shared action ? That's 00:06:14.580 --> 00:06:20.068 what a bunch of us in Wellington, 00:06:17.940 --> 00:06:22.500 a bunch of technologists open source 00:06:20.069 --> 00:06:25.289 developers facilitators and activists 00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:28.289 have been working on for the last 18 to 00:06:25.289 --> 00:06:30.389 24 months. It came out of 00:06:28.289 --> 00:06:32.789 this experience of collective 00:06:30.389 --> 00:06:35.669 decision-making on a large scale and 00:06:32.789 --> 00:06:37.378 knowing that this was happening in 00:06:35.669 --> 00:06:38.789 cities all over the world on every 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:41.820 continent that people who've never met 00:06:38.789 --> 00:06:43.979 are coming together were talking they 00:06:41.820 --> 00:06:46.349 were deliberating and they were 00:06:43.979 --> 00:06:49.169 organizing a directly democratic way, 00:06:46.350 --> 00:06:50.910 where every voice could be heard with diverse 00:06:49.170 --> 00:06:52.950 perspectives could contribute to a 00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:54.720 process that would lead groups to come 00:06:52.950 --> 00:06:56.880 to better outcomes than any individual 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:58.980 would buy themselves. Seeing the 00:06:56.880 --> 00:07:02.100 power of that process and the potential 00:06:58.980 --> 00:07:04.680 on a really large scale for it to have a 00:07:02.100 --> 00:07:07.320 transformative effect. But also seeing 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:09.120 the flip side of that. Seeing the just a 00:07:07.320 --> 00:07:10.380 practical constraints of needing to be 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:12.960 in the same place at the same time 00:07:10.380 --> 00:07:14.460 seeing what happens to people when 00:07:12.960 --> 00:07:15.900 they're in meetings for five hours and 00:07:14.460 --> 00:07:17.789 nothing gets decided. 00:07:15.900 --> 00:07:19.169 Or when the loudest voices in the room 00:07:17.790 --> 00:07:21.060 dominate the discussion have a 00:07:19.170 --> 00:07:22.920 disproportionate influence over the 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:24.960 decision-making and over the course of 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:27.690 weeks seeing the disintegration that 00:07:24.960 --> 00:07:31.500 selection pressure leads to. The 00:07:27.690 --> 00:07:33.540 same entrenched power structures emerged 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:36.240 from these groups that had an explicit 00:07:33.540 --> 00:07:39.090 commitment to and two deep deliberative 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:41.100 Democratic inclusive process end up with 00:07:39.090 --> 00:07:44.400 these emergent informal sort of 00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:47.580 accidental dictatorships. We felt like 00:07:44.400 --> 00:07:48.450 we're using the internet to communicate 00:07:47.580 --> 00:07:50.310 every day 00:07:48.450 --> 00:07:52.920 surely there's tool out there surely 00:07:50.310 --> 00:07:56.160 there's some way of using that 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:59.370 infrastructure to not just talk but to 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:02.760 have discussions, then lead to 00:07:59.370 --> 00:08:05.310 building a shared understanding and 00:08:02.760 --> 00:08:08.640 eventually to agreed outcomes that can 00:08:05.310 --> 00:08:10.650 be implemented. The platform 00:08:08.640 --> 00:08:13.620 that we came up with came to be known as 00:08:10.650 --> 00:08:15.450 Loomio which has got two 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:17.850 elements in the name via the idea of a 00:08:15.450 --> 00:08:20.400 loom weaving disparity threads 00:08:17.850 --> 00:08:22.290 together into a coherent whole. Also 00:08:20.400 --> 00:08:23.760 the illumination that comes with from 00:08:22.290 --> 00:08:25.470 the collective wisdom of a group of 00:08:23.760 --> 00:08:29.969 people with diverse perspectives feeding 00:08:25.470 --> 00:08:32.820 together. Where we're at now is 00:08:29.970 --> 00:08:35.099 we've got a robust beta 00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:37.349 prototype that's being used by thousands 00:08:35.099 --> 00:08:39.179 of groups around the world and it looks 00:08:37.349 --> 00:08:42.419 a bit like this. It's a really 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:45.719 simple user-friendly tool that allows 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:50.010 groups to have a discussion, start a 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:53.130 discussion on any topic. If the group 00:08:50.010 --> 00:08:55.860 gets to a point where it makes sense to 00:08:53.130 --> 00:08:58.290 try and make a decision together it 00:08:55.860 --> 00:09:00.000 then anyone can put up a proposal. So a 00:08:58.290 --> 00:09:01.680 good proposal is just a very clear 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:05.790 course of action I think the group 00:09:01.680 --> 00:09:07.380 should do this. Like an in-person 00:09:05.790 --> 00:09:11.400 group that works really well together 00:09:07.380 --> 00:09:13.110 you have this flexibility where 00:09:11.400 --> 00:09:15.720 you can change your position at any time. 00:09:13.110 --> 00:09:17.280 So someone makes a compelling point that 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:19.530 you hadn't thought of you can go from 00:09:17.280 --> 00:09:22.110 disagreeing to agreeing. This is sort of 00:09:19.530 --> 00:09:23.430 taking the basic protocol the sort 00:09:22.110 --> 00:09:26.100 of the name of collective 00:09:23.430 --> 00:09:27.479 decision-making that was so that was 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:29.370 really spread through social media 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:31.470 around the Occupy movement and around 00:09:29.370 --> 00:09:34.020 the other the other social movements and 00:09:31.470 --> 00:09:35.730 the wave in 2011 and putting it into the 00:09:34.020 --> 00:09:38.910 the most accessible online environment 00:09:35.730 --> 00:09:40.410 that that we can design. When you 00:09:38.910 --> 00:09:43.709 get to the end of the process you always 00:09:40.410 --> 00:09:47.100 have a clear outcome. An actionable clear 00:09:43.710 --> 00:09:48.810 outcome. This is where 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:50.610 all of these groups that are currently 00:09:48.810 --> 00:09:51.839 trying to make decisions through 00:09:50.610 --> 00:09:54.600 facebook trying to make decisions 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:55.920 through email these platforms that were 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:58.230 just not built for having that 00:09:55.920 --> 00:10:02.880 convergence around a shared outcome that 00:09:58.230 --> 00:10:05.940 works for everyone. As soon as 00:10:02.880 --> 00:10:09.930 we had a prototype up and running it was 00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:13.440 taken up by just such a diverse range of 00:10:09.930 --> 00:10:15.270 of groups that it ended up being 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:17.490 used for things that we could never have 00:10:15.270 --> 00:10:20.040 anticipated. One of the first groups 00:10:17.490 --> 00:10:22.380 use in a large-scale was the same city 00:10:20.040 --> 00:10:24.270 council that 12 months previously had 00:10:22.380 --> 00:10:26.730 been sending us eviction notices to 00:10:24.270 --> 00:10:28.439 clear us from the City Square. They used 00:10:26.730 --> 00:10:30.960 it for a large-scale public consultation. 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:33.030 Just in the last little while we 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:35.250 have groups set up in a group of 00:10:33.030 --> 00:10:37.740 community gardens in Bulgaria a 00:10:35.250 --> 00:10:40.290 Community Hospital in Vietnam we've got 00:10:37.740 --> 00:10:41.520 Bitcoin mining coops using it right 00:10:40.290 --> 00:10:43.469 through two groups of twelve-year-olds 00:10:41.520 --> 00:10:46.980 making decisions in their school 00:10:43.470 --> 00:10:49.800 councils. 00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:51.330 Something that's appealing 00:10:49.800 --> 00:10:52.920 to everyone from anarchist 00:10:51.330 --> 00:10:54.930 collectives through to government 00:10:52.920 --> 00:10:56.969 departments feels like something that's 00:10:54.930 --> 00:11:02.160 got a lot of potential for widespread 00:10:56.970 --> 00:11:04.710 uptake. We've built this 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:06.930 beta version over the next six months 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:08.850 we'll be bringing out of beta to a full 00:11:06.930 --> 00:11:10.530 mobile release. We've just run a 00:11:08.850 --> 00:11:12.649 crowdfunding campaign that I know some 00:11:10.530 --> 00:11:14.569 people in this room contributed to. 00:11:12.649 --> 00:11:17.540 So we're deeply grateful for now having 00:11:14.569 --> 00:11:21.920 resources to take it through to a full 00:11:17.540 --> 00:11:24.079 release that can scale. 00:11:21.920 --> 00:11:27.050 We're really just driving forward 00:11:24.079 --> 00:11:29.329 and building with the open source 00:11:27.050 --> 00:11:31.279 community something that we see as 00:11:29.329 --> 00:11:37.579 public infrastructure for distributed 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:41.749 group decision making. Some of the groups 00:11:37.579 --> 00:11:46.219 that are using it. Where we're at now 00:11:41.749 --> 00:11:50.420 I feel in history is a really really 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:53.300 interesting place to be. And it's a 00:11:50.420 --> 00:11:54.649 a really hopeful time in some ways and I 00:11:53.300 --> 00:11:56.899 think that's what the the spirit of this 00:11:54.649 --> 00:11:59.869 conference really captures, that we've 00:11:56.899 --> 00:12:01.970 got this infrastructure with more 00:11:59.869 --> 00:12:05.629 potential for liberation for inter 00:12:01.970 --> 00:12:08.179 connection. For genuine distributed 00:12:05.629 --> 00:12:10.670 meaningful democracy. And with the same 00:12:08.179 --> 00:12:13.459 infrastructure is increasingly under 00:12:10.670 --> 00:12:15.740 threat. We've got this digital Commons 00:12:13.459 --> 00:12:18.319 that's increasingly being enclosed. 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:22.429 We've got all these these spaces that 00:12:18.319 --> 00:12:23.959 feel public and really are not. Space 00:12:22.429 --> 00:12:26.629 that feels like you can freely 00:12:23.959 --> 00:12:28.699 participate when every single behavior 00:12:26.629 --> 00:12:30.499 that you perform is being monetized, and 00:12:28.699 --> 00:12:38.329 is being sold to the highest bidder. 00:12:30.499 --> 00:12:40.220 The challenge now is to support the 00:12:38.329 --> 00:12:42.859 ecosystem of tools that are developing 00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:45.139 that are held publicly but held in the 00:12:42.860 --> 00:12:48.230 public good that a purpose-driven not 00:12:45.139 --> 00:12:49.850 profit maximizing. And they're some 00:12:48.230 --> 00:12:51.649 really amazing tools coming out. 00:12:49.850 --> 00:12:54.470 There's a group in Argentina called 00:12:51.649 --> 00:12:57.350 "Democracy always" who've built the first 00:12:54.470 --> 00:12:59.809 user-friendly platform for liquid 00:12:57.350 --> 00:13:03.529 democracy for proxy voting. Really 00:12:59.809 --> 00:13:06.139 impressive project. And I feel like the 00:13:03.529 --> 00:13:06.980 challenge is really to to look at what's 00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:09.049 already there. 00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:12.079 This burgeoning sphere of publicly-held 00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:13.759 Civic tech infrastructure and support it 00:13:12.079 --> 00:13:16.670 and see what we can do to support other 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:19.999 projects coming up. As it's only when 00:13:16.670 --> 00:13:23.569 we're all participating in meaningful 00:13:19.999 --> 00:13:26.270 democracy. Democracy as a distributed 00:13:23.569 --> 00:13:28.550 network of real people in real 00:13:26.270 --> 00:13:30.350 communities coming together to make 00:13:28.550 --> 00:13:32.060 decisions that work for everyone. 00:13:30.350 --> 00:13:35.150 Only then will the public internet have 00:13:32.060 --> 00:13:40.780 delivered on its real potential. 00:13:35.150 --> 00:13:40.780 Thank you very much.