Charlie Tims and Celia Hannon from Demos present the research Demos have done alongside the StrangerFestival.
Demos is the think tank for 'everyday democracy', their aim is to put this idea into practice by working with organisations in ways that make them more effective and legitimate. To put it differently, via research they are researching and trying to link

In collaboration with ECF and the Stranger Festival, DEMOS organized a series of workshops on Expressive Democracy and new-media usage among young Europeans - ‘Children of Europe’ - in Istanbul (TR), Berlin (D), Helsinski (SF), London (UK) and Iasi (RO). The workshops reflected different realities and experiences across Europe.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

In a preliminary research stage, Demos has identified three main shifts and trends:
- The new generation is facing new challenges when constructing identity
- Costs of a/v production have gone so low that it is more widely accessible
- Young people in Europe have become profoundly disillusioned with our politics

Trend 1
According to Demos, phenomena like immigration or globalization have lead to a transformation of reference points and shifting reference points. A new set of demands is being introduced that demands from young people to define themselves in a more profound way.
The definition of reference points has become crucial and cultural reference points for defining identity become more and more important for young people as can be observed in the re-appropriation of popular culture. Self-definition happens more in the public realm public and audio/visual preferences (music, film, fashion) are cornerstones for self image and -reflection.

Trend 2
Tools of creative production have moved from the few to the many. This generation experiences the emergence of a new culture with the democratization of the means of production, a practice that has largely been suppressed in the industrial era of cultural production. Digital media has lead to the master copies being in the hands of young people.

Trend 3
According to Demos, Europe faces a policy crisis, with loss of faith and interest of young Europeans in politics. Young people are redirecting their energy into a new direction, and the experience of policy is mediated by digital technology. An acceleration of cross-fertilization of politics and entertainment can be observed.

When asking themselves how this Demos research is linked to the Stranger Festival, Celia and Charlie conclude that most of the videos are stories of young people in Europe and their identities, even if they are not necessarily overtly political.

The research on young people and their self-representation through audiovisual means has lead to a process of creating a whole new set of questions.

What does it mean to represent yourself through online videos?

Demos made a what they call ‘crude’ categorization of the material used for online videos and differentiated between edited versus unedited, and original versus recycled material.
This helped them to identify the different roles young video makers take on, i.e. as distributors of information, as commentators or as reporters and documenters.

One of the questions that keeps popping up is the issue of accessibility. Does the availability of relatively low-cost technology lead to transformation, or is it a sheer reflection of the inequalities of real life.
Demos regards the new ‘power of projection’ as a new skill. Constructing identity with a multilayer of information is a creative ability and cannot be explained by mere availability of recording tools: the possibility of recording does not imply an ability to create a story or a film.

What Demos is interested in is bringing these issues back into the political realm and research issues for democracy. How can this process of increased self-representation lead to a collective process of decision-making and political participation?

Issues that Demos identifies:

Online video and related technologies are a tool for deliberation (not decisions).

Young people have acquired an active media literacy.

Democracy needs to find ways how to cope with more expressed emotions, and how can democratic structures evolve to accommodate some of those shifts?

A public life for young people is inevitable.

An audience discussion closes the session and brings up issues of quantity, quality and distribution of content; who uses these new technology tools - is this restricted to an avant-garde or are broader and marginalized groups also among them? Does increased accessibility to these tools and technology create a shift, or is this another short-lived trend?

Demos concludes that that change is a process, and the first stage or sign of it is unsettlement which can already be observed among politicians. The new vibrant sphere will not be not replacing the existing system but will change the position of politics and politicians.