DCitizens Roles Unveiled: SIG Navigating Identities in Digital Civics and the Spectrum of Societal Impact

TL;DR

The paper addresses the ethical and sustainability challenges in digital civics by proposing the DCitizens SIG as an inclusive, interdisciplinary forum for examining motivations, authentic stakeholder engagement, and responsible exit strategies. It outlines an interactive, hybrid session format to surface diverse perspectives and foster collaboration, with concrete plans for ongoing community building and potential SIGCHI affiliation. Its contributions include a clear agenda for ethical governance in digital civics, structured activities to surface insights, and a roadmap for future workshops and cross-institutional collaboration. The work aims to advance practice by providing a platform that supports durable, community-centered interventions in urban regeneration and beyond, reinforced by existing funding and networks.

Abstract

The DCitizens SIG aims to navigate ethical dimensions in forthcoming Digital Civics projects, ensuring enduring benefits and community resilience. Additionally, it seeks to shape the future landscape of digital civics for ethical and sustainable interventions. As we dive into these interactive processes, a challenge arises of discerning authentic intentions and validating perspectives. This exploration extends to evaluating the sustainability of future interactions and scrutinising biases impacting engaged communities. The commitment is to ensure future outcomes align with genuine community needs and address the ethical imperative of a considerate departure strategy. This dialogue encourages future researchers and practitioners to integrate ethical considerations and community-centric principles, fostering a more sustainable and responsible approach to technology-driven interventions in future urban regeneration and beyond.