I was chatting by email with my friend and colleague chris cavanagh about the new ways we are connecting with each other in our modern world. We are using technology and its programs/applications to reach out to each other for learning, support, companionship, and community building. But to what end?
I know that I have friends who inspire me in person. Their approach to life helps me to see different perspectives on issues and different responses to challenges. They are thoughtful and innovative. Their presence in a room always shifts the energy – okay maybe I can’t say that but it does shift my energy to a place of being more open and settled in myself. But online, it is way different. They lurk. They join groups, follow blogs, read articles, search for wisdom and truth but are noticeably silent.
When I shared this observation with chris, he replied, “Yes, the lurking population is, i agree, huge. But that’s the digital divide: lots of spectators and not so many spect-ACTORS (as Boal called them).
With a quick trip to google, I found more than enough information about Augusta Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed to get me started. (I bookmarked the sites that caught my attention to visit later as I continue in my never ending quest to learn it ALL.)
I have copied a paragraph from the Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed website to share with you here.
Birth of the Spect-Actor
“Prior to his experimentation, and following tradition, audiences were invited to discuss a play at the end of the performance. In so doing, according to Boal, they remained viewers and “reactors” to the action before them. In the 1960’s Boal developed a process whereby audience members could stop a performance and suggest different actions for the character experiencing oppression, and the actor playing that character would then carry out the audience suggestions. But in a now legendary development, a woman in the audience once was so outraged the actor could not understand her suggestion that she came onto the stage and showed what she meant. For Boal this was the birth of the spect-actor (not spectator) and his theatre was transformed. He began inviting audience members with suggestions for change onto the stage to demonstrate their ideas. In so doing, he discovered that through this participation the audience members became empowered not only to imagine change but to actually practice that change, reflect collectively on the suggestion, and thereby become empowered to generate social action. Theatre became a practical vehicle for grass-roots activism.”
It has me wondering, “What can we do to increase the number of spect-ACTORS in our online communities?” I am curious to see if you have any suggestions.
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perhaps that some of these “lurkers” are afraid of losing their anonymity. maybe that should also be addressed on how they can keep their anonymity. now to answer your question, i think if you ask them questions directly that might get more responses. just my ideas.
I like this discussion and the point about loss of anonymity with anonymity comes safety and a lack of accountability for view points which may change as new ideas emerge.
It is also important to notice WHO is not speaking and WHY when building community with people from varied backgrounds there may be people who are self censoring, feel out of their depths: a lack of visible response may also mean people take longer to process or have taken their responses to other communities or perhaps view their role as either creating spaces for others to talk or as an observer.
So much of our society is based around consumption perhaps lurking is another example of this. I think some of this behaviour may also be attributed to changes in the way people view and share knowledge. In many cultures knowledge is shared orally. Once it is shared in the written form it seemingly takes on a false air of permanence. It reminds me of my school days when writing an idea or a thought would mean I would be judged positively or negatively based on ‘commonly’ held views whether those views were representative of my world view or not.
Hey folks, something to ponder. As a new civil servant, I have learned that Big Brother is always watching. Not in the way that you are thinking, but in that bureaucrats are constantly scanning the Internet for information to use. We call this environmental scanning. Anything that you write, publish or muse aloud online might be used to make a decision, one that may have reprecussions that you may not be comfortable with. So write carefully, thoughtfully and with purpose…
Great to see some responses to this piece. I knew that nifty ransom note I found on google images would capture some attention.
I often think of myself as chatty and that my sincerity and engaging nature (which shines in person) would come across online. I hope people would not feel threatened and rather encouraged to speak up – or post. Of course, I need to be reminded that it is not just about posting in response to what I have written but rather intimidated to post in a public forum at all.
Any ideas about what might lessen this? I am curious to know.
I am also interested if there has been anything in this blog post or any other of them that seemed provocative.