My approach would be to start by just cataloging / mapping the meaning of how it's used. If we can get some clarity on "who is in the room" before we start fighting about what is the "right" meaning of "internet user" is, that would help us move forward. In ICANN parlance, "internet user" fulfills the role that "citizens" or "the public" fits in democracies, and "community" fits in other contexts: that is, it's used elastically as an overture to patch different constiuencies agendas under one tent. The more flesh we have on the bones of internet users, the better we will be at understanding their collective interests. I am aware that my work/time/energy is particularly connected with specific subsets of internet users-- and also to people who may not be considered internet users-- but could be effected by "the internet." I'm interested to know how others in At-Large, especially NARALO perceive the term and their connection to it. -Dharma Dailey On Nov 3, 2008, at 12:22 PM, Brendler, Beau wrote:
glad that you did this...we are talking a lot about users at this particular ICANN meeting...which is good, though becoming progressively more complicated in an ICANN way ________________________________________ From: na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org ] On Behalf Of Wendy Seltzer [wendy@seltzer.com] Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 12:02 PM To: Dharma Dailey Cc: NA Discuss Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] Who Are Internet Users?
Hi Dharma,
Nice mapping -- I think that's quite helpful and should be part of the broader discussion. I encourage you to put it into some of the public consultations on the role of the Internet user.
--Wendy
Dharma Dailey wrote:
This is another issue that seems to make ICANN conversations difficult: Who is an internet user? 9 times out of 10 an "internet user" is used to cloak the agenda of groups that may, in fact, be a tiny sliver of internet users as a whole. I think it would be great for NARALO to map who the internet users are that we work most closely with as individual ALSs. This could inform recruitment of new ALSs, strengthen collaboration within NARALO -- "Who are we working with?" -- and, begin to identify the many flavors of "internet user" that circulate at ICANN.
-Dharma Dailey
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-- Wendy Seltzer -- wendy@seltzer.org Visiting Professor, American University Washington College of Law Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet & Society http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/seltzer.html http://www.chillingeffects.org/ https://www.torproject.org/
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