Who is in Charge on the Internet?

A discussion on power relations in a digitalised world. Participants engage in a moderated, open-ended discussion on the question “Who actually controls the internet?” Their ideas will be visualised and clustered in a shared mind map. This provides a broad overview and reflection on which actors play a role in digitalised capitalism and what (power) relations exist between them.

Goals

Broad overview and reflection on which actors play a role in digital capitalism and what (power) relations exist between them. Reflect on the internet as a space of power relations and democracy and their own role in it.

Steps

Preparation

The instruction mind map printed out gives the facilitator overview and orientation (and is not meant to ‘work through’ aspect by aspect). Beforehand, facilitators can add their own ideas and associations to the mind map. The conversation may take a different turn and stray from the mind map. However, if the conversation strays too far from the actual question, the mind map helps to return to the topic and take a new direction.

Download: Template as PDF
Download: Template and MindMap as open file for use with Freemind, Freeplane) or compatible programs: ZIP

A circle of chairs is set up. Create a place where open questions can be recorded, such as a parking lot wall (for further work later).

Introduction of rules

Before the group discussion begins, the discussion rules are briefly explained:

There is a ball – the discussion leader throws the ball to a person.
Only the person holding it may speak. The others listen carefully and let the person finish speaking.
When that person is finished, they throw the ball back to the leader.
In groups with discussion experience, participants can also throw the ball directly to each other. They should make sure that everyone who signals is given a chance to speak.

Plenary work

Collaborative work on the mind map

Participants gather in the circle. The visualised question ‘Who actually decides on the internet?’ is placed in the middle. For participants who feel comfortable in group discussions, the discussion begins directly in the whole group; for less experienced groups, see the alternative.

The facilitator asks the group the initial question and throws the ball to the first person who wants to speak. From there, the discussion takes its course (for more on the role of the facilitator, see Tips for Facilitators below).

For the final summary by the discussion leader, the course of the discussion and important aspects should be roughly noted in keywords in the mind map during the discussion.

The discussion lasts between 25 and 40 minutes, depending on how much the topic has to offer the group. It is possible that not all aspects will have been discussed conclusively, but that is in the nature of the question.

Reflection

The facilitator briefly summarises the discussion and asks the participants for a final round of quick questions, in which the participants take turns answering the following question (those who do not wish to say anything can pass the ball on):

What do you take away from the discussion as an important insight or new question?’

The discussion can then be evaluated with a thumbs-up round. To do this, all participants hold their fists out in front of them.

If they answer the following evaluation questions with ‘yes,’ they hold their thumb up (thumbs up); if they answer with ‘no,’ they hold their thumb down (thumbs down). They can also use their thumb to indicate a middle value. The following evaluation questions are asked one after the other:

Were you able to listen well?
Did you feel that you were being listened to?
Were you able to participate in your own way?
Did you feel comfortable in the group?
Did you hear or think anything new?
Was it interesting for you?

Variation

For participants who are not used to group discussions, this can be followed by small group work. In small groups, participants can then spend about 10 minutes discussing

what they themselves decide on the internet and
what others decide and who those others are.

The small groups then come back together and the discussion begins with the small groups briefly reporting on what they talked about.

For groups that pay close attention to each other during the discussion, the discussion can also be conducted without a ball.

Experience

The method is intended as an introductory exercise to the topic and offers opportunities for connection to all further methods. It can make it easier to recognise and discuss the connection between the respective topic and (global) social power relations in the following methods. The role of the discussion leader is very important. The leader introduces the topic and the question and ensures that the agreed rules of discussion are observed. The discussion is not primarily about reaching a specific conclusion, but about showing genuine interest in the issue. The discussion leader does not contribute to the content so as not to consciously or unconsciously evaluate the statements.

The course of the discussion is left to the participants as far as possible. In order to support the group's learning process, the leader repeatedly summarises the various thoughts and establishes connections between the contributions, for example by asking how two statements are related or what the others think about them.

The moderator can point out contradictions and follow up on incomprehensible statements or ask the group if anyone can explain the idea in other words. The moderator encourages participants to justify their opinions, give examples, question assertions and differentiate between statements. They can also ask provocative questions, but without taking a position themselves. If the conversation stalls, the chairperson can ask new prompting questions, but should take care to ensure that the conversation does not jump from topic to topic, but that each individual point is clarified in detail. Prompting questions should not have clear-cut answers; they should explore the core of an issue, its meaning and significance.