Bob Graham Center launches cutting-edge digital tool for civil debate

January 9, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A unique, innovative social media tool — one that could revolutionize civil debate and political conversation among youth — is being unveiled this month at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

The Civil Debate Wall — to be known as “The Wall” — is a series of interconnected touch-screen panels that allows students and citizens to share ideas and solutions to some of the most pressing political questions facing the nation. The idea is to engage those under 30 on important civic questions — a particular concern in Florida, where civic engagement among millennials as measured by rates of voting, volunteerism and political activism is at a record low.

Recently installed at UF’s Pugh Hall, home of the Bob Graham Center, the wall operates in real time and can be synchronized to smartphones and its own website. Visitors can think of it as social media in a public space. Comprised of five 46-by-26-inch touch-screen flat panels, the wall allows users to post their opinions or join an existing debate on questions that deal with the economy, politics, and domestic and foreign policy.

“Civil conduct most often begins with mature and respectful dialogue,” former U.S. Sen. and Florida Gov. Bob Graham said. “The wall will contribute to that dialogue and to better informed citizens.”

Funded by a $3 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the wall’s cutting-edge technology was created by award-winning interactive media designer Jake Barton, who is perhaps best known as the designer of StoryCorps and interactive programs at The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, among other projects.

“The wall is a new experiment in using digital media to allow people to engage in constructive dialogue around controversial topics,” said Barton, founder of the New York City-based design firm, Local Projects.

This effort at developing intelligent, constructive debate on key issues is at the core of the Bob Graham Center’s mission. The center has worked closely with students over the last several months to develop this new form of media to capture the imagination of a generation raised with the Internet, smartphones, sophisticated games and continually evolving forms of social media.

Many argue that digital media and other contemporary forms of communication are driving people to extreme points of view. “The Wall” is a new form of social media that is in a public space and was designed to foster constructive dialogue. The goal is to bring together those who may disagree but have rational and reasonable approaches to difficult subjects.

How does that happen? The wall is more than a sounding board like Twitter or Facebook. Its technology sifts through the key words of postings, tabulating them in dynamic data visualization to show agreement. That information can then be used by scholars as well as the users themselves to move toward potential solutions.

Graham, an advocate for consensus building for the betterment of public policy, has been actively involved in developing and endorsing new civics curriculums for students in Florida and around the country. “The Wall” is one example of his many efforts to create a 21st-century platform for civil debate and engage young people in political discourse about critical issues.

“We are proud that the Graham Center with the generous support of the Knight Foundation is raising ‘The Wall’ and empowering active and civil citizenship,” Graham said.