#18DaysInEgypt Revolutionizes Multimedia Documentaries

January 23, 2012 Leave a Comment

Upon the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, a group of journalists and technologists have come up with an innovative way to document the historic events from the last few months online.  18DaysInEgypt is a new online, group storytelling module that allows anyone to submit any digital media they created while witnessing the beginnings of the Arab Spring.  Instead of filming a traditional documentary, 18DaysInEgypt co-founders Jigar Mehta and Yasmin Elayat are using their private beta site, Groupstre.am, to solicit submissions of tweets, video, pictures and other media to create an interactive product.

Participants can go to the website and register their own account or “stream” and invite friends in their online social circles to participate by submitting their own media to tell a story in a slideshow module.  Participants can also add tags and map locations for easier navigation.  Viewers are able to look at the stream and see other streams that took place at the same time or at the same location.  So far, many of the streams represent an array of the Egyptian experience, ranging from press freedom, women’s rights to even some underwater humor.  Pretty cool, right!

This project is supported by the Tribeca New Media Fund, and Mehta and Elayat are hoping to fully launch Groupstre.am in the next few months.

Filed under Entrepreneurship, Facebook, Films and filmmaking, Flickr, Middle East, Online Journalism, Twitter, Video, YouTube Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

How Online Video Has Changed The Way Race Is Discussed Today

January 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

Today Americans will mark the birthday of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a series of memorial breakfasts, panel discussions and workshops on how U.S. race relations have evolved since his assassination.  Most would say that there have been many improvements.  According to a recent Gallup poll, “more Americans believe U.S. race relations have gotten better rather than worse with Barack Obama’s election as president.”

However, recent events such as the controversies around President Obama’s birth certificate and new U.S. television program “All-American Muslim” would suggest otherwise.  The surge in social media allows anyone to use the medium to combat racial and ethnic stereotyping and discrimination.  With the use of online video specifically, more people are using innovative storytelling tactics to start these discussions.  Currently on YouTube, there is a series of funny, yet thought-provoking videos called “Sh*t Girls Say” made by both amateur and professional videographers addressing racial attitudes, like the above video made by Iraqi actress Tamara Dhia.

Another video in the series that has taken off is “Sh*t White Girls Say…to Black Girls” by New York video blogger Franchesca Ramsey, which is based on comments made to her by other white females.  Ramsey said in a recent interview that she was hoping to get high viewer hits at first.

“I saw other videos in the series become popular online,” she said.  “I thought they were funny, but I couldn’t relate to them or see myself in them.”

This video garnered five million hits in one week, and sparked a larger online discussion.  Ramsey says she has received both positive and negative emails from others who wanted to discuss the meaning behind the video.

Filmmaker Issa Rae also felt that she wasn’t represented as a black woman in mainstream media.  After reading yet another article about the lack of African-Americans onscreen, she decided to be the media and do her own online webisodes about being “awkward,” and, thus, the name of her series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.”

“This is the future, especially for minority content producers on the Internet,” she said in a recent CNN interview.  “This is the way to go.  There is no gatekeeper.  You can release whatever content you want.  I think this is the best route to take, honestly.”

Filed under Americas, Films and filmmaking, Video, YouTube Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Global Wire Associates Launches New “Recharge E-Waste” Campaign

January 9, 2012 1 Comment

As many of you are still gushing over all the new tech gadgets you received over the holidays, you probably didn’t give a second thought about the “old” gadgets you just threw away.  According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, it is estimated that 20-50 million tons of discarded electronics – electronic waste or e-waste – are dumped into landfills around the world, mostly in developing countries, every year.  Electronics include old mobiles, televisions, microwaves, computers and more.  However, most of the time it’s not because these gadgets are broken; they’re being dumped in favor of newer versions.

For example, many of you may have traded in your iPhone 4, which came out in June 2010, for the iPhone 4S, which was released just last October.  According to Greenpeace, “the average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005, and mobile phones have a life-cycle of less than two years in developed countries.”

Landfills with e-waste create serious problems in the long run.  Toxic chemicals in electronics can leach into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, creating severe health and environmental hazards in nearby communities.

Global Wire Associates is launching a new awareness campaign called “Recharge E-waste.”  Throughout the year, we will have special posts about the problem and possible solutions – reduce, reuse and recycle.  Check back here for more discussions about proper recycling, donating and/or selling of used electronics, turning electronics into art and design models and, most importantly, why you should resist the urge to buy any of the latest gadgets featured at the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CES) trade show this week in order to extend the life of the gadgets you already have.

We believe environmental hazards affecting marginalized communities is a social justice concern for all.  Also, because we take green business very seriously, we are going the extra mile with this e-waste campaign. Over the years, we have spoken to many of you through our trainings about the problems you are having with e-waste and other tech disparities in your communities.  We will be launching our own e-waste management program later this year with some other like-minded groups on how to effectively deal with this problem and bridge some gaps within our network.  More information will come on this program in the next few weeks.

In Solidarity,

Talia, Marjane, Philip and Maria

Filed under E-Waste, Global, Mobile Phones, Tech Disparities, Tech Life Tagged with , , , , , , ,

New Year, New Digital Activism Ideas for 2012

January 2, 2012 Leave a Comment

A new year means new beginnings in many ways.  A few weeks ago we asked you about your predictions on digital activism trends for 2012.  Below are the winners of our contest who will be receiving a Flip UltraHD Video Camera.

“I think citizen journalism will begin to be seen as just as valuable and legitimate as mainstream journalism in the new year.  When you look at all the movements from [the previous] year like Occupy and Arab Spring, much of the news was coming from protesters reporting from the ground with pictures and Tweets.  If it weren’t for the brave protesters in Syria recording the atrocities being committed by the government on YouTube, nobody would know what was really happening there.  I can see more professional journalists wanting to collaborate with citizen journalists on reporting stories.”

- Anjula Bhratt, Bangalore, India

“I am exciting about the growth of mobile technology and how it can help those of us in the developing world.  I have seen how mobile entrepreneurship has really taken off in my community, and online business in the developing world will only grow in 2012.  It is so easy for anyone to start their own business today with the lowered barriers for selling products and services.  For the past year I have been thinking about starting my own pocketbook business, and after doing the research, I realized how easy and inexpensive it would be to manage my website, social media and online purchases.  I will be officially starting my business later this year!”

- Lelia Rye, Paramaribo, Suriname

“I think more collaboration will happen in 2012, thanks to tools like cloud computing.  I use a lot of Google products like Gmail and Google Docs and Drop Box to collaborate with other activists in my local community.  But the recent global movements such as Occupy Wall Street and Egypt protests have made me think out loud why can’t activists worldwide collaborate more in the cloud on the same issues more often.  We can organize our own movements without the help of already established NGOs.”

-Fikru Abate, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“The digital divide will become smaller in the new year.  I am excited about the development of tablet devices like the Aakash.  These tools make technology more accessible to everyone.  I am excited about the new developments in bringing this technology to Africa and Asia and young students being exposed to ideas they wouldn’t have had access to otherwise.  I would like to see that world governments see the investment in supporting more mobile devices for our youth.  People need to understand that a digitally literate world is a better world for everyone.”

- Hugo Batko, Kiev, Ukraine

Filed under Americas, Africa, Twitter, Tech Disparities, Asia, Tech Life, YouTube, Online Journalism, Mobile Phones Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

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