The Seattle Community Network: Anomaly or Replicable Model?

The Seattle Community Network (SCN; http://www.scn.org) is a community owned and operated networked computer system that just marked its 10th anniversary. SCN now provides e-mail to thousands of people and web sites and distribution lists to scores of community groups. In the era of dot-coms and ubiquitous banner ads, SCN is somewhat of an anomaly. SCN focuses on local communication and information services but supports related efforts in places as far from Seattle as Nepal and Uganda. It is a free, public system that is built upon a set of socially responsible principles and policies and is maintained solely by people who volunteer their time without financial compensation. SCN has been emulated by community activists and studied by cyberspace researchers from all over the world. How might it evolve? Can it serve as a more universal model? This chapter will discuss SCN's history and the original motivation. It will also compare its socially ameliorative objectives with current realities. Theoretically, it will focus on the role of SCN and similar systems in an historical moment when major global forces are shifting dramatically and communication technology is affording new opportunities for social actors worldwide. Will public, non-commercial systems still have a place? What impacts have been observed in Seattle and what impacts might be expected in the future? Is SCN an anomaly or might some type of 'community network' model, possibly similar to SCN, become prevalent in the world? Is it possible to develop a 'digital city' that is inclusive and helps meet civic sector needs around the world?

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