Beyond clickbait and commerce

Jocelyn E.
Williams
of people (Shaw 1996: 177). All the groups involved in The living
community were already deeply engaged in constructing artefacts
and shared outcomes specific to their community priorities (such as
a reforestation project at CUE Haven, a creative hub in Avondale, an
arts installation, a digital drop-in centre, an anti-bullying performing
arts piece, an exhibition, and so on) as well as the digital artefact
representing their story for the Face TV broadcast series. In social
constructionist theory, collaboration is recognised as central:
Community members act as collaborators, coaches, audience,
and co-constructors of knowledge. In current educational
research literature, new attention is given to communities of
practice, knowledge-building communities, and [ICT] support
for collaborative learning (Kafai and Resnick 1996: 6).
Theories such as these are helpful in accounting for the outcomes of
the work with the Mamas in relation to the ideal of a participatory
approach. While full PV was not feasible, the high priority placed
on collaborative process and the shoulder-to-shoulder teamwork,
enabled co-construction of an artefact (the film) as well as community
building through the Mamas’ engagement in the process of creating
and celebrating the film. The Mamas were very present throughout
its creation. Also, in the co-creative process, the Mamas drew the
director in as a community member and facilitator, collaborator, coconstructor,
coach, and audience member, no more nor less than
each Mama, or camera operator, or academic colleague, or me or
member of the wider Mamas community or audience engaging
in the outcomes of the community’s work. Most importantly,
the documentary director responsible for researching, planning,
consulting and liaising, eliciting beautifully judged story moments,
editing the final piece and engaging the Mamas deeply in the entire
filming process, talked about it afterwards in constructionist terms:
I did work quite closely and talking to them about what we
could do, how we could do it, how we could shape it a little
bit more … I just had to be flexible really, and I didn’t worry
about my perfect film, I just tried to make sure that I told each
person’s story and the story of the Mamas (Skye Clark, personal
communication, 29 October 2015).
She commented that she ‘tried to get everybody at home … so
that I could see behind the doors and see who they really are’. This
was the collaborator and co-constructor, finding the right story for
this piece:
I did put time in as well, I went and had lunch with them one
day and really talked about myself … who I was and where I
grew up, and talked about my grandparents, you know talked
about a lot of stuff so that they could also appreciate who I was
60 Copyright 2016-2/3. Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics. All rights reserved. Vol 13, No 2/3 2016