Powerful new media discussions on the EFB Community Meeting parallel sessions

Many innovations brought by technology have significant effects in the way we live our everyday lives, organize ourselves, share information and react to events that are happening in our societies. The internet allows those who are connected not only to be receivers, but constant generators of information as well. By turning us from passive receivers of information to active producers, sharers and creators of content, the internet enabled us to create a more transparent and democratic world. How is internet used and/or abused for political purposes? How social networks and new media enabled political and social changes throughout the world and are we personally engaged in this global change of behavior? And yes, does all the virtual signing, sharing, following, liking and clicking have a potential to grow into a big change? The following three issues were discussed during the parallel sessions on the second day of the first EFB Community meeting in Zagreb (October 11-14). 1.“Use or Misuseof the Internet”- Jon Worth, blogger, founder of bloggingportal.eu jonworth.eu 2. “Power of NETworking –Online Democracy and Transparency in the Balkans”- Marko Rakar, Communications Consultant, Croatia 3. “SHARE in order Ideas to Happen” - SHARE Team –Workshop- Rajko Bozic (EXIT) The participants had an opportunity to get the fresh insights about the use and the misuse of internet seen through the scope of Jon Worth, who had a very dynamic presentation on the role that the internet can play in the everyday life, the political elections, the use of the social media as twitter and facebook and the public responsibility for everything that is said and done through the modern day communication streams. Marko Rakar (Communication Consultant) who revealed that he got his first computer commodore 64 on early age and managed to first learn how to type and then to write, also had inspiring messages and overviews on how the blogging and the internet can stir changes in the society. His total accordance with the well known saying that the "The politics is too important to be left to the politicians" was the predominant notion on the panel about the power of the networking and internet in creating online democracy and transparency in the Balkans. The sharing of the ideas was also present on the session “SHARE in order ideas to happen”, where the representative and founder of the Share Conference platform, Rajko Bozic (President of the Management Committee of “EXIT Community”) went into discussion with the participants about the broadening of the field of interest of the Share conference, which is now generally focused on internet, activism and culture. According to the young EFB community members “Share” can easily become a platform for more socially engaged events and projects for bringing visible changes in the different areas of the public living. Check the presentation of Jon Worth on his chosen topic