And only a hacker can know a hackers' worth. We might not know it but looking back at the history of the early internet we actually inherited a valuable change in attitude from the early geeks and the dynamic they established in their usenet newsgroups!A long time before the graphical browsers came along they needed a way to freely share knowledge. They did so by sending emails to all members of a group, which was a great way to get feedback and join efforts. Together they developed a creative and collaborative practice, in their area of technological interest. This method of peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, production and distribution is today being applied in all sorts of areas, online and in the real world.
The attitude we inherited is that we as 'consumers' or 'users' now turn to our peers or people in the same boat as us, for advice on what to do and where to go. You shop for a camera, you check reviews by other people who have bought it before. You have a software problem, you search for other users who have had the same issues – and hopefully solved them. Experts don't always get it right, nor do they always agree with each other. This kind of gives everybody the right to chip in and the internet makes this possible. Twenty people sharing their subjective and contradictive views on a certain issue can now have the information edge over an expert. People are increasingly making informed decisions based on the experiences of their peers rather than simply being told what to do.
Often it's easier to accept support, advice and real life examples from somebody who has gone through the same experience themselves. I’m not saying you can replace experts, but in many cases they can be complemented.
Earlier this month we launched freeasabird.org.uk, a peer-support network for women coming out of the Criminal Justice System. Like most peer-to-peer projects, the community has shaped the network, and takes the lead in producing the content and managing the site. The focus of freeasabird is on sharing real life examples of how women ex-offenders have got back on their feet, whether it’s sorting out housing, getting new qualifications or finding a job. People coming for advice or help can choose to take on board the opinions of others or not. Of course not everybody will have had the same experience, but users will share enough to be able to learn from each other. And we hope they will be inspired and motivated by other people’s’ stories to move their lives forward. As a model, peer-projects have gone a long way and have an even longer way to go. Technologies come and go, companies and software applications come and go, but the principal of peer-to-peer exchange as a tool to empower communities is clearly here to stay.
The attitude we inherited is that we as 'consumers' or 'users' now turn to our peers or people in the same boat as us, for advice on what to do and where to go. You shop for a camera, you check reviews by other people who have bought it before. You have a software problem, you search for other users who have had the same issues – and hopefully solved them. Experts don't always get it right, nor do they always agree with each other. This kind of gives everybody the right to chip in and the internet makes this possible. Twenty people sharing their subjective and contradictive views on a certain issue can now have the information edge over an expert. People are increasingly making informed decisions based on the experiences of their peers rather than simply being told what to do.
Often it's easier to accept support, advice and real life examples from somebody who has gone through the same experience themselves. I’m not saying you can replace experts, but in many cases they can be complemented.
Earlier this month we launched freeasabird.org.uk, a peer-support network for women coming out of the Criminal Justice System. Like most peer-to-peer projects, the community has shaped the network, and takes the lead in producing the content and managing the site. The focus of freeasabird is on sharing real life examples of how women ex-offenders have got back on their feet, whether it’s sorting out housing, getting new qualifications or finding a job. People coming for advice or help can choose to take on board the opinions of others or not. Of course not everybody will have had the same experience, but users will share enough to be able to learn from each other. And we hope they will be inspired and motivated by other people’s’ stories to move their lives forward. As a model, peer-projects have gone a long way and have an even longer way to go. Technologies come and go, companies and software applications come and go, but the principal of peer-to-peer exchange as a tool to empower communities is clearly here to stay.
Caspar Below, Freeasabird Project Manager, Media For Development
IJP's income is used to develop various MFD projects, including Freeasabird.
Watch this space to hear about how we continue to explore this model of mutual aid to build communities that can help themselves. Visit freeasabird for advice, stories and films for and by women offenders. Books: Cyberchiefs, Autonomy and Authority in Online Tribes. Mathieu O’Neill.
Watch this space to hear about how we continue to explore this model of mutual aid to build communities that can help themselves. Visit freeasabird for advice, stories and films for and by women offenders. Books: Cyberchiefs, Autonomy and Authority in Online Tribes. Mathieu O’Neill.
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