Directions for civic social media: designing and managing trusted online community spaces

Recent developments at Facebook and X have shown the need for 'civic social media' platforms. These are thriving and trusted digital meeting spaces, that allow communities to safely meet-up, without economic exploitation or the fear of harassment. What does it take to design & manage such sites? Three initiatives from the Netherlands share their experiences. 

• The Civic Interaction Design Research Group (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) presents the results of audience research for PubHubs - a public values-based Dutch community network.
   
• The Rathenau Institute explored the design of online environments for the LGBTQIA+ community.  Using design research they identified several core needs as safety, privacy and humane content moderation. Results include design & policy recommendations for systemic change towards more inclusive online environments.
   
• Public Spaces is a coalition of over 40 public institutions in The Netherlands fighting for an internet based on public values. They will introduce a road map for the development of social civic media, highlighting the role of design, technology, policy and public organisations in its realization.

This programme session is supported by Stiftung Mercator. / Dieser Programmpunkt wird durch die Stiftung Mercator unterstützt.