The Public Good Online

What is “the public good?” As one working on a grant exploring this exact issue in virtual worlds, I had high hopes for the Aspen Institute roundtable on, “Media, Creativity and the Public Good.”  As I understood the report, the “public good” is a vague definition for representative media that focuses on a moral code of conduct. Disappointingly, this report did not go deeper in to this important subject nor articulate any shared definitions for these terms.

To explore this topic religious leaders and media leaders were convened and although I would expect this group to blend about as well as oil and vinegar, they all seemed to agree that the direction of media, especially in the aftermath of the shootings at Virginia Tech, were not in the interest of the public good. Unfortunately, determining a corrective course of action was not determined nor was a better definition for the desired outcome stated. I believe that the first issue to changing the current state is not to lament where it is, but rather to articulate where it should be.

They “lamented […] the trivialization of the human experience” drive to cater to the “lowest common denominator”, “desensitization” and overall link between what is being modeled and values the community it is espousing (6,7,10). In past generations, art was supported by state and church entities with a level of assumed appropriateness. Today it is driven and sustained by market forces based on who will watch, purchase and support the art. Ultimately, consumers control what they watch and the Internet only exponentially expands those choices.

So rather than actually defining the topic of public good or creating a consensus for what they want, the group glazed that topic and then moved on to focus on various kinds of media including radio, TV and the Internet. They further explored WHO is responsible for media, from government, to broadcasters, to community leaders to parents and consumers.  And ultimately, ended recognizing that rights and responsibilities are intricately linked.

Online communities, are a great resource for a vast array of content, and I do not believe in stringent regulatory censorship, however there should also be “safe places” for children and adults who use the Internet without the sleaze that attendees at this conference were all likewise concerned about. Perhaps that could be a place to start.