Dear list members
I sent this message earlier without removing the naughty words left by others. Some of you have naughty word filters, so here it is again with the naughty words removed.
This is so funny!
David
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Hi Andrew,
Wonderful. You beat me to it! I was in the middle of writing a blog on the same lines. The provisional title was 'Co-creation: cult or craft?'
Here is as far as I got in my first draft:
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As a research institute it’s our job to look at new ideas as they appear and evaluate their practical value on behalf of our members.
Sometimes new terms come into use and we welcome them as a way of reshaping our craft, or as ways of providing us with useful distinctions which enhance our craft. But sometimes terms become mantras in a cult and are repeated over and over, as if the term itself rather than its careful usage carries its power.
I think co-creation is in danger of slipping from craft into cult. This would be sad as there is much of value in the ideas around co-creation.
As new minds discover the joys and thrill of co-creation and the enthusiasm which it engenders, it’s worth reflecting on some of its limitations. To the newly enthused this may seem anathema. After all, co-creation is about suspending collective critical judgement in order to generate new ideas for enriching our lives and transforming our world. But, all is not as it seems.
As researchers into the practical crafts of communication, we ask 6 questions of any ‘new’ idea that people claim will change or enhance our craft:
1. What are its antecedents?
2. How rigorously is it defined?
3. What is the evidence in terms of before and after results, outcomes, and unexpected consequences?
4. Is the evidence replicable in a variety of contexts?
5. Where does the money trail go: who pays, who gets paid, who benefits financially from the outcome?
6. Who gains and who loses power and control?
Here are our answers to date on co-creation:
1. The antecedents
Like many ideas, co-creation, is not new. It has a formal history that can be traced back to the 1930s at least, and there was a gathering momentum of interest in the USA after the launch of the first Satalite—Sputnik—by the Russians, leaving America to wonder how the Russians got there first. Among the wondering was a resurgent interest in the ideas around creativity. Also, alongside this there were a whole series of economic and social changes: the emergence of democracy as a powerful social force and the rise of a consumer society. These led many to look for new ways to involve ordinary people in the creative process of generating new products, processes and institutions. Out of this mix came ideas of co-creation, and a exploration of the processes that might facilitate it.
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Ha! The joys of co-creation!
David
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blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog
web: http://www.communication.org.au
Professor David Sless BA MSc FRSA
CEO • Communication Research Institute •
• helping people communicate with people •
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