1. A CITIZEN CENTRIC WORLD
AND
CHANGING PUBLIC ATTITUDES
Library Development Council
John Creighton
March 22, 2010
john@creighton.com
@johncr8on
www.johncr8on.com

2. Too Much Emphasis on the Present
Difficult to Imagine the Future

3. The World People See at the Moment
THE CONSENSUS IN ’95
“ROLL THE PRESSES!”
“With few exceptions,
virtually everyone
agrees that new media
is merely a supplement
to the traditional print
paper.”
- Timeless Values
The Harwood Group

4. Not Prepared for the Future
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW
The internet has surpassed all
media except television as
an outlet for news.
For young people the internet
rivals television as a main
source of news.
Forty-two percent of
Americans would not miss
paper if it closed. Forty-
eight percent of those
under age forty.
Source: Pew Research Center

5. Must Pay Attention
BURIED IN REPORT
People want more choice
and control in how they
receive their news.
People want greater
interaction with
journalists and each
other.
- Timeless Values
The Harwood Group

6. Message Doesn’t Matter
6

7. Culture Follows Structure
Changes in Infrastructure and
Technology Changes People’s
Behavior, Attitudes and Values.
Paul Keleher (Flickr)
Change Happens When a
Technology Becomes
Ubiquitous.
g-hat (Flickr)

8. What’s Appropriate
Ryan Harvey (Flickr)
sjh foto (Flickr)
8

9. The Structure that Shaped Our Lives:
Large Institutions
irargerich (Flickr)
9

10. Institutions Shaped Our Lives
Rules of Conduct
- Be at work on time
- Perfect attendance
Daily & Yearly Schedule
- Hours of operation
- 40 hour work week
- Spring break
Roles & Boundaries
- Boss & subordinates
- No parents in classroom

11. Institution Centric Era
Infrastructure and technology
— not philosophy —
created the institution centric era
battlecreekcvb (Flickr)

12. Institution Centric Era
Infrastructure and technology
— not philosophy —
created the institution centric era
battlecreekcvb (Flickr)
Bill Ward Brickpile (Flickr)

13. Why Big Institutions?
 Scarce and limited
resources
 Large capital investment
 High costs of design,
production, distribution
 Need for large scale to
lower costs
 Need for a mass market
Florian (Flickr)
 Limits of time and place

14. Institutional Attitude:
Take It or Leave It
“You can have your car
any color you want as
long as it’s black.”
- — Henry Ford
David Reber (Flickr)

15. Institution Centric Era Is Over
“Transformative change happens when
industries democratize, when they are ripped
from the sole domain of companies,
governments, and other institutions and
handed over to regular folks.”
- Chris Anderson

16. People Don’t Need Institutions
 Abundant and cheap
resources
 Small capital investment
 Low costs of design,
production, & distribution
 Produce goods in small
quantities at little cost
 Growth of niche markets
HFrankenstein (Flickr)
 Few limits of time and place

17. Culture Follows Structure
New infrastructure and technology are changing
people’s expectations for institutions.
Leaving behind an institution centric society
– a time when institutions shaped our lives.
Entering a citizen centric society
– a time when people expect to tailor own lives.

18. Emerging Public Attitudes
Old: Limited options is the way the world is.
New: A range of options to suit personal interests.

19. Emerging Public Attitudes
Old: Limited options is the way the world is.
New: A range of options to suit personal interests.
Old: Experts/officials decide/do things for people.
New: Individuals decide/do things for themselves.

20. Emerging Public Attitudes
Old: Limited options is the way the world is.
New: A range of options to suit personal interests.
Old: Experts/officials decide/do things for people.
New: Individuals decide/do things for themselves.
Old: Institutions operate in a defined space/time.
New: Individuals do things where/when they want.

21. Emerging Public Attitudes
Old: Limited options is the way the world is.
New: A range of options to suit personal interests.
Old: Experts/officials decide/do things for people.
New: Individuals decide/do things for themselves.
Old: Institutions operate in a defined space/time.
New: Individuals do things where/when they want.
Old: People participate in geographic communities.
New: People choose communities of interest.

22. School Views
MID 1990 ATTITUDES CURRENT ATTITUDES
 Focus on basics.  Provide rounded experience.
 Choice not on radar.  Choice is assumed.
 Common curriculum  Students need tailored
makes sense. learning experiences.
 Home school parents are
out of the main stream.  Home school parents are
admired.
 Education happens at a
specific place & time.  Education is an experience.
 Choose schools based on  Eliminate schools based on
neighborhood reputation. CSAP Scores.

23. Biggest Change: 90s to Now
 Choosing a school has become another
form of individual self-expression.
 Bottom line for parents: Does this school
support my vision for my child?

24. Will People Perceive Need for
School Districts?
 School districts purchased text books and
curriculum individuals could not afford.
 Cost of text books/curriculum moving toward zero.
 School districts built places for teachers and
students to gather.
 13,000 Colorado students enroll with online schools.
 2% of St. Vrain students go to online schools.
 School districts provide students transportation.
 Transportation is a cheap good compared to 1970.
 1970 < 1 vehicle per driver; Today 1.2 vehicles per

25. Organizations Respond

26. Rise of the Platform Organization

27. Citizen Centric Society Begs
Fundamental Questions
 What kinds of institutions are needed in a
citizen centric society?
 How do existing institutions need to adapt
to shift toward a citizen centric society?
 What problems do people need solved now?
 How can institutions help facilitate that?