Demos

This 110-page document discusses the potential of digital technology and broadband access as a new realm of public information in Europe. It characterises the youth segment of this 'Video Republic' as "a messy, alternative realm of video creation and exchange that extends across the internet, television, festivals and campaigns." This report intends to chart the rise of the 'Video Republic' across Europe as new space for debate and expression dominated by young people. As Odile Chenal and Tommi Laitio of Demos' partner the European Cultural Foundation explain in the Foreword, "we want to be at the forefront of creating new strategies of engagement... giving young people the freedom to talk about issues they find important. Liaising between groups in this way can create stronger links between people across Europe, and also generate a sense of European belonging. In a democratic Europe we need these interactions across borders, across media and across generations."

This report is the result of a yearlong investigation into young people's use of audiovisual media across Europe. Demos also worked in partnership with the European Cultural Foundation to carry out research in 5 countries during 2008. The researchers met with young filmmakers United Kingdom (UK), Turkey, Germany, Romania, and Finland taking part in workshops held by the European Cultural Foundation as part of its StrangerFestival project on youth video expression. In addition, Demos carried out a series of expert interviews in the UK, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Turkey. They asked academics, arts practitioners, youth workers, media experts, and filmmakers to comment on trends in filmmaking, youth participation, arts education, the creative industries, and new technologies.

The authors found that "[d]ebates about issues as diverse as identity, climate change, culture and politics are being driven by the production and exchange of video." They argue that the stakes are high, both for the contributors to this video realm and for the democracies they live in. "Confusion about regulation, copyright, and privacy means that young people are plunging headlong into an uncertain set of new relationships online. And around Europe, new types of expressive inequality are emerging as many are held back from participating by poor access and a lack of resources."

Using online video as a medium for communication, governments are seeking to connect with their populations; campaigning and charity groups are seeking to reach supporters and change attitudes; major broadcasters, including Music Television (MTV) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), are searching for defining relationships with young audiences due to their attraction to it; and the European Commission is promoting intercultural dialogue.

The authors state that: "The Video Republic has primarily been assembled by a generation of young people who would prefer to route-around institutions than oppose them. Their parents and grandparents won their freedoms by challenging governments, but the ‘routearound kids’ would rather contribute to an alternative public realm where they have more power and influence. This poses a profound challenge to decision-makers, but it also creates new opportunities. For democracies starved of legitimacy, it offers hope for a new sphere of democratic expression and participation. With a range of recommendations for government, media and the private sector, this report outlines how we can channel the creativity locked inside the Video Republic."


This research generated recommendations, among which are the following:

1. "Schools, universities, and businesses should prepare young people for an era where CVs may well be obsolete, enabling them to manage their online reputation... They should pass on guidance from recruitment agencies and other experts to help them make informed decisions about what they put online and contribute to the Video Republic... Educators have a responsibility to help young people to become fluent in audiovisual forms of communication from an early age. The formal education system should draw on the expertise of arts-based initiatives to unlock the potential of the video making currently taking place in the informal sphere.
2. Some of the larger internet enterprises should pool a small portion of their profits into a foundation to support video making in parts of the world where there is none, and to improve the quality of videos online and offline. Their data sets would give them a good idea of how and where to act... A ‘virtual video-making academy’ would provide a trusted place for experts to share tips on how to communicate messages, start online campaigns and get short films noticed.
3. A UNESCO-ratified charter of digital rights could draw on contributions from a full range of stakeholders: advocates of digital rights and freedom of expression, artists, industry leaders, legal experts and academics... It should proceed through an open debate in which the public can play a full part. The charter should address international questions of privacy, data protection and access to technology.
4. There are some categories of older public service broadcast material that could be afforded Creative Commons status. Developing ways to embed the rights to transformative use of content should be a priority...to ensure that people are free to adapt works in ways that do not leave them vulnerable to prosecution.
5. People should have the ability to select age rating systems for videos on websites. The average of these ratings could then be translated into a region’s film-rating classification system. Video-hosting platforms should enable users to collaborate on guidelines about what content to include and not include on their sites. This should involve open debate about what material is in the public interest, and what content breaches people’s privacy.
6. Video-sharing platforms should collaborate with bodies such as national statistics agencies and academic institutions to release this valuable information.
7. Government and institutional consultation exercises should find ways to use video as an alternative tool for public deliberation... Such consultation processes should be seen to have clear outcomes, and should find ways of recognising and rewarding contributions.
8. The teams responsible for information distribution, communication or marketing for governments should initiate the creation of short videos that detail the processes of democracy, decision making, and public service in that country... The government, other public bodies, charities and institutions could operate a ‘badge’ system, which signposts videos that will help people understand their work or processes.
9. Online sections of newspaper websites or TV channels should have space for people to contribute their videos, providing their own perspective on news... The media should take an active role in signposting a wider audience towards quality videos as well as ‘shocking’ or ‘novelty’ videos... By capturing this material and bringing it to a wider audience, they could help people make sense of the Republic."

Young People's Media Network on October 7 2008; and email from Celia Hannon to The Communication Initiative on March 10 2009.