chi.mp

One thing I love about chi.mp is its big heart.  As an organization, chi.mp is generous and altruistic, seeking to improve the world we live in as much as your online experience.  This week I had a chance to spend time with Jean Russell, also known online as NurtureGirl.  I asked her some questions on social media and social change.

Jean has facilitated social benefit conferences, cooperating with colleagues in fields ranging from technology & social media, to philanthropy, currencies, green/sustainable design, community development, international development, and human rights.  Jean creates and nurtures conversations. With broad knowledge of many aspects of social change work, Jean weaves together networks of purpose for enabling a thrivable world.

TODD: What are some examples of social change that you are seeing within the online world?

JEAN: Some social changes I perceive are innovations in fundraising, awareness building, granting. This year has been marked by the inclusion of social good into mainstream technology conferences such as SXSW Interactive and Jeff Pulver’s 140 Conference, for example. Mashable is all about social good this year. Social change is the new black. With the abundance of free services, making slick social cause websites and campaigns requires very little money (although time and experience are strong requirements). Early successes, which won’t be replicable en masse, but do gain traction in the ravenous minds of nonprofits getting involved include: Beth Kanter’s fundraising for Cambodian kids and Stacey Monk’s fundraising for Epic Change, and #IblameDrewscancer is a different model - crowdsourcing attention rather than micro-donations.

Some social changes I see are less direct or obvious, yet more important and present. The ability to connect to others who share our interest, long a value of social media, is particularly vital for social change. The medium for the gift economy flourishes- crowdsource your travel needs (couchsurfing the social good network) for example. Social media facilitates a sense of connection to others in an immediate and compassionate way - very feasible, and the grounding for a great deal of social change work. The ability to know the social good network, enabling the knitting of that network is also powerful transformative and part of the impetus for WiserEarth, the global social good wiki for organizations and projects.

TODD: Is the world changing, or are we simply experiencing new communication technology?

JEAN: Yes, and the world is changing.  It is a little frustrating to see people trumpeting how social media is the next revolution after the printing press. The birth of the internet (and probably computers themselves) already claimed that. The communication technology is not vastly different from chats and forums that we had a decade ago. What makes it the new is the scale of the communication. This isn’t just a circle of geeks and early adopters.

TODD: Within the world of creating social good, what trends are you seeing in online participation?

JEAN: I notice that we have moved beyond early adopters to a broader mass engagement. This has a negative effect on the network - making it harder to reach some people as filters begin to rise in how we pay attention to people. And it has a positive effect - it is easier to stay connected with a broader field of your network. Also, the differentiation between spaces is getting sharper - rather than one tool emerging to rule them all, we are reinforcing the fractures of ourselves -the compartmentalization of our past, our profession, and our personal. Even within twitter - the space of infinite NOW, many regular contributors have multiple accounts to keep their multiple networks clear and distinct.

TODD: You have started an organization around thrivability.  What is thrivability?

JEAN: My friend Arthur Brock explains it: ‘Thrivability builds on itself. It is a cycle of actions which reinvest energy for future use and stretch resources further. It transcends sustainability by creating an upward spiral of greater possibilities and increasing energy. Each cycle builds the foundation for new things to be accomplished. Thrivability emerges from the persistent intention to create more value than you consume.” I can also explain it simply as transcending sustainability, social justice, and consciousness through understanding and guiding complex adaptive systems. Or we can get right to the heart - co-creating the world we want to live in.

TODD: What can people do to advance thrivability in their community?

JEAN: Creating thriving communities powerfully advances thrivability. There are very practical ways to engage in creating a thrivable community. Asking people what a thrivable community would look like to them can start a very useful conversation.  They don’t have to all agree to a shared vision from the beginning. Opening the door for creative visualization and giving people a space to voice their dreams is very potent. Connecting people around their passions in the community builds the resilience and creativity of the network and helps generate energy.

TODD: What role does entrepreneurship play in creating thrivability?

JEAN: Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in thrivability. I was having an interesting conversation with an economics and labor historian last night. He suggested that by several historical definitions, what we have now is not capitalism. We laughed, a little uncomfortably, and we both agreed this might be an era of markets and market-ism. Who are the key agents of transformation in markets? I suggest that entrepreneurs are. I look forward to the emergence of markets around thrivability, and I am quite curious about the business models and practices it will generate.

TODD: How does the open web fit into all of this?

JEAN: The open web is vital for expediting the flow of information. It is the global brain and the manifestation of our collective intelligence network. Right now, it is in a Neanderthal era in terms of identity, etiquette, and ownership/territory. The old pyramidal structures of relating to each other collapse in the open web, ideally. Note that this does not mean giving up leadership as much as it means increasing the quality of information.

TODD: What are you working on now?

JEAN: I am testing a conversation process for thrivable.org which will bring people together around a thrivable topic of interest, generate multiple perspective of understanding around that topic, evolve and refined into co-authored essays. My hope is that this helps form grounded and practical wisdom in many domains. I am also testing a set of discovery cards around thrivability, seeking a playful and potent way for people to engage in the breadth of thrivability while focused on their own projects.

Thank you, Jean.