Digital Civic Sensemaking: Computer-Supported Participatory Sensemaking of Nuanced, Experience-Based Dialogue

Abstract

Throughout the 21st century, we have seen a steady decline in trust in democracy, and a proliferation of exclusive, deconstructive methods of political participation such as town halls and polarizing social media discourse. However, methods of facilitated small group dialogue and community organizing have fostered trust, understanding, and civic empowerment for generations. Further, with advances in human-computer interaction, machine learning, and computer-supported cooperation in civic technology, the intersection between dialogue, community organizing, and technology for positive and inclusive civic participation is ripe for exploration. We present Real Talk, a hybrid civic technology program in which we aim to design, develop, and implement scalable technological infrastructure and equip communities, organizations, and networks with the processes and technology that allows them to connect, share experiences, collaborate, make meaning, address problems, suggest and advocate decisions in a thriving ecosystem. In this paper, we discuss a foundational system within the program as a key contribution to system sciences: computer-supported participatory sensemaking of nuanced dialogue data. We outline our system and discuss findings, implications, and shortcomings.