Author: Christakos Anastasia

Co-Author: Rentzeperis Dionysis

Background and Motivation

Due to the delays in airing the renovated version of www.geitoniamas.net, the following paper is being submitted as an on-going research paper and is to be read as an introduction of the final research paper.

The initial proposal paper sent to EUTIC was sent with the belief that there would be ample time for the completion and working with its upgraded functions of the renovated site that would have provided the data points, arguments and conclusion for the research paper. However, during that time, we discovered that we were victims of fraud from one of our web masters (we provided the financing of joomla modules and components, which were never even bought) and a few others lacked the commitment. We were fortunate to have found Zoe Spathi and her assistant Korina Vaila to have accepted the challenge within a short period for the construction of the site. We bought the template at the end of July and after more than 100 neighborhoods, 1750 forums, 400 blogs, a hundred business directories, hundreds of components and modules, the renovated social network www.geitoniamas.net aired in mid-September.

This paper is divided into two parts being: the observations and conclusions that emerged with the initial site, which led to the decision for the second part, the updated version of the social network with an updated calling.

“Geitonia Mas”(www.geitoniamas.net) (“Our Neighborhood”) is a non-profit social network that publishes on-line its income and expense accounts. Its funds are exclusively from private/corporate sources such as on-line advertisement, corporate and private donations, etc. The focus of the paper proposal is to measure the effect of the “Geitonia Mas” social network in bridging the gap between the collective and individualistic tendencies of local communities already under pressure from a severe national economic downturn. While a crisis can often serve as a catalyst for greater cohesion and communal effort for improvement, this has not been observed in Greece to any great extent. Citizens have instead retreated from public engagement, treating any initiative with suspicion, distrust and apathy while projecting upon fellow private individuals the shortcomings, both perceived and real of the political class, which is seen as the main reason for the country’s current state.

The implementation of “Geitonia Mas” aims to reverse that trend by enabling its members to both fund/champion their local causes and be informed about their local issues. The site is broken down into ‘neighbourhoods’ following the administrative/geographic municipalities of Athens (with the possibility of other cities joining in) each headed by a local co-coordinator. It offers local news, blog space, individual/personal profiles and forums for discussion. The members are not limited in the range of topics up for discussion and are free to talk to about any issues. In fact conversations in the forums are varied, covering personal interests from child development and pet care to recipes, auto repair and local businesses.

The focus of the site’s content is to inform its members about the important local or regional issues that they need to be aware of, ranging from the discussions and issues in Parent-Teacher Association meetings to issues debated in their municipality’s administration. By presenting a one-stop shop of important local information we attempt to encourage increased awareness and interest in local politics and community issues, tapping into the growing G generation (being defined as the internet users generation between the ages of 15-85 who inter-engage, diffuse and respond to ideas on line and off.)

Geitoniamas.net is the brainchild of Anastasia Christakos Gritzalis. I am a Greek American, a dyslectic and owner of a neighborhood bookstore in Maroussi, a northern suburb of Athens, since 1988. Unlike parts of northern Europe where big chain stores are dominant or the only option, neighborhood bookstores in Greece traditionally provide for the needs of the local students and also provide office supplies to their local municipality and business. Their close interaction with the local education and administrative system makes them a nexus for information about local affairs.

Over the Christmas holidays in 2008, a family friend from England came to visit and mentioned that “the century of self” should be left behind. "This series is about how those in power have used Freud's theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy."[1] Adam Curtis’ award winning BBC production video had a profound impact on me, in so much as to question everything and reassess my priorities and beliefs with regards to established societal aspirations. I realized that much had been happening since the time of my graduation from college and had major gaps of knowledge that quickly needed to be filled. The internet was instrumental in being able to explore trends and issues brought up by socio-biology, psycho- sociology, neuro-science as well as developments in politics, direct democracy, economics and much more.  

Early in 2009, contrary to government and journalistic announcements at the time claiming that Greece was immune to the global crisis, I tried to inform my customers that citizens should press the government to take steps to insure against an inevitable economic calamity. I even suggested that both major parties in parliament, Pasok and New Democracy should combine forces in a joint effort to avoid the consequences of the global economic turmoil while there was still time. The reaction of my customers was almost uniformly that of disbelief. Not discouraged from the negative feedback I was receiving, I continued to press on with my warnings but at the same time researching and observing “swarms” or similar patterns of reactions and impressions from my customers. Noting that most of the people have accepted the view that “this is the way that things are done here in Greece” or in other words a closed system society, I continued and came up with the idea of a site with the aim of creating a community that would sustain and provide a better future by communicating and discussing issues in an open system. Resigned to the idea that the Greek government was a dysfunctional system that could not be easily adjusted and actively resisted change, I began to explore different approaches on how to adapt and establish a system of direct democracy so as to provide people with a focused means of political expression as well as a creative and innovative outlet.

I was surprised to discover that for a country with citizens where politics are often the main focus of discussions and a high percentage of participation in local and national elections (65%-85%)[2] there are significant barriers to direct action. These range from local city council meetings that open to the public just once a month to Parent-Teacher Association (like PTA) meetings that frequently devolve to partisan bickering along political party lines. Compounded by the fact that local politicians often play the role of an employment agency for an already overstaffed city hall in exchange for votes, a system whose henchmen actively work to discourage meaningful participation and cultivate apathy among those who seek to address its faults has arisen and entrenched itself.

Creation of the site

In September 2009, I started informing my customers of my plans to make a neighborhood site. Providing a very vague outline of what the site was to be about, I chaired a number of meetings with interested parties in my municipality so as to determine the main areas of interest.

During September 2010 the site finally aired on the internet in its then final format. Awareness spread entirely by word of mouth as there was no budget for advertising. The airing of the site in September proved to be a tactical mistake on my part. This was due to the fact that local elections were scheduled for early October 2010 and pre-election fever was consuming most of the local society’s interest. Rather than hearing the common questions asked when one hears of something new, “What is this about, etc.” , most of the feedback I received could be summarized in the following statements: “Are you running for office”, “How much are you going to make out of this?”, “You don’t fool me; I know which party you are coming from and who is backing you…,”.

A few months later, while researching for background material for the presentation of the social network at the Kapadostriako University of Athens, I came across the term post modernism[3]. I noted that the behavioral pattern observed during the time of local elections could easily be defined as a post-modernistic society. a) Incredulity – to be disbelieving; b) Skeptism; c) Fractured. Define the part in order to see the whole rather than the other way around. Political and existential fragmentation; d) Dismemberment – importance to sub sets rather than sets. Taken down to what is in it for me; e) Relativism in ethics and morals; f) Multiplicity; g) Sublime- expresses the edge of our conceptual powers and reveals the multiplicity and instability of the world; h) The subjective and not the objective; i) The collapse of cultural hierarchies; j) Answers cannot be found by appeal to an external truth, but only within the confines of the norms and forms that phrase the question[4].

The following is a comprehensive list of the reactions towards “Geitonia Mas”: (not compiled in any hierarchical order)

1) Socio -political climate was not conducive to active participation. Grounded in their “ideological and party culture” most people were very skeptical about “Geitonia Mas” as an entity. Skepticism was dominant, ranging from: “Yeah, sure where is the catch” to “who is behind this and why are you doing it”

a) The tyranny of Party politics: Many individuals who are active participants in the local politics, due to their party ties saw “Geitonia Mas” as a competitor. The same month that “Geitonia Mas” went on line, there were a number of Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) members who rushed to create and air their own site. (Ironically, there is one school now that has two sites for their own PTA, each competing and maintaining that this is the main site for their PTA-“Ours is better”).

b) There was great reservation bordering on fear, for a number of interested individuals in deciding to associate themselves with “Geitonia Mas”, for it would compromise their party ties or characterize/stigmatized them in such a fashion that would leave them vulnerable to suspicion and/or derision. Many “flirtatious” proposals were offered in exchange for “Geitonia Mas” to somehow associate either with a party or at least with the “left wing” or “right wing”. It was considered common sense that I should have taken a side.

2) The age of anxiety that we are living. The main complaint I heard and continue to hear is that many people are too exhausted to concentrate and invest time in participation. They see no way to fit it in their tight schedules and what little time is left is better spent elsewhere. Up to now, those who are unemployed were confused and disappointed to the point that: a) they did not want to stir things up, because they might miss an opportunity for a city or private sector job that has ties to a political party (stuck to their party lines- a lot of false promises were being made right and left) or b) pessimists dressed as optimists-complain, but wait for the wind to change back- tied to false expectations), c) there is no example or role model for them to copy in order to participate or volunteer for “Geitonia Mas”.

3) The condescending and patronizing myth: “Greeks don’t change” and “This sort of stuff is not for Greeks” which I saw as a meme that was cultivated by the established prominent members of my municipality.

4) “Neighbours” do not like each other; they compete and fight with each other and choose to avoid one another.(Parochialism)

At this point, I would like to take responsibility for certain areas that were found lacking due to my inexperience with such an endeavor and lack of communication.       “Geitonia Mas” should not have been described as a casual site but rather a social network for local involvement. (show previous site---) Many members, especially those lacking familiarity with the fluid nature of the internet, mistook entity for function.

It was taken for granted that members would understand the workings and the meaning of the social network and its implied collective and inclusive nature. However, that was not the case. When the very first vote was organized concerning the allocation of funds towards the budget of one of the local schools, many members that did not have children attending did not participate thinking that since they would not be directly benefitting, it was not their place to “interfere” as they put it.

Due to a number of heavily publicized scandals involving certain non-profit and charitable organisations and the misappropriation or misapplication of public/private funds, they are often perceived as self-serving. In that regard I was deficient in communicating that no public funds were sought or accepted and that it is the actual members that are responsible for the allocation of funds instead of a select few.

I was also late in communicating to other local associations with similar aims that we are not competing for resources and funds. "Geitonia Mas" has the potential to have access to funding a school cannot ever have. By supporting and being viewer conscious, ratings go up, thereby increasing advertising revenue, which in turn allows for more funding to be provided to the community.

Main Causes and issues supported by ‘Geitonia Mas’

As the launch of the site coincided with the local elections of 2010 one of the main issues was a greater call of transparency in the municipality of Marousi. The local authority has the unfortunate position of being one of the most heavily indebted in the country. With a population of 72,480[5] it has a combined debt (short, medium and long-term obligations) of €143,30 million[6]. Its accumulation cannot be fully accounted for, while large portions are still under judicial investigation. ‘Geitonia Mas’ publicized and actively sought to increase interest in the financial affairs of the municipality which continued to run large deficits. Success was limited due to the perception of the site being just another outlet of partisan bickering. While the presentation of plain facts could not be disputed, the level of suspicion and distrust was such that members did not think that they could have made any sort of meaningful change.

‘Geitonia Mas’ was very successful in engaging with the local schools and PTAs. In fact most of the awarded funds were given to local schools for the purchase of educational equipment or towards upgrading existing ones[7]. It was this engagement that familiarized our members with the voting system and spurred engagement through the submission of proposals for debate before being submitted for a vote. (show pictures of Gymnasiam—award winner )

It was very encouraging to see that this in turn created unsolicited interest from nationwide companies keen to participate and fund either directly through their corporate responsibility programmes or indirectly through the purchasing of advertising space on the site, the proposed activities despite the initial narrow focus on a single municipality. Surprisingly the site even attracted interest from industry associations such as from Ms Liouzotou, the current president of the Association of paper and stationary suppliers. This was in sharp contrast to the initial rejection of the site by local businesses when approached for advertising/funding. In 2010 eight out of 10 times I was rejected for fear that they would somehow be tainted as politically aligning with one or more of the established national parties.

The attraction of company/private interest and the active refusal to align with established political party orthodoxy and seek or accept any public funds whatsoever alleviated the climate of initial suspicion and distrust. It also provided me with confidence to again engage with wider local issues. Going into 2011 and the first half of 2012 articles and proposals were submitted for the idea of adopting a school uniform for reasons of economy and cohesion. The idea was that members would vote on a finalized proposal before being submitted to the local authority for consideration as a citizens’ initiative. Another such proposal involved greater transparency and a more open system with regards of the running of PTAs[8]. Members even started questioning and suggesting improvements to procedural issues for local schools such as the handing out of grades/progress reports from the teachers in the afternoon instead of the regular morning hours so that parents would have more time to discuss issues and concerns.

I was also successful in encouraging the creation of activities that reinforced collective participation such as the revival of May Wreath, a ritual that dates back to ancient Greece and involves children displaying their prowess and strength by jumping over burning wreaths. The tradition had stopped in the neighborhood for more than 20 years. Participation in the first year was small but soon word got out and the children came running to see what it was all about and test their strengths. The second year in 2012, with a city permit secured early enough the turnout was substantial.

Re-Design and Re-Launching of Geitonia Mas

In 2012 the limitations of the existing site design and capabilities were becoming apparent. Individuals from neighbouring municipalities had become aware of our efforts and wanted to create their own ‘neighbourhoods’ within the site. Although a temporary solution was devised by providing sub-forums and space, this was unsatisfactory. The proliferation of issues, posts and proposals quickly became unmanageable by myself and the volunteer administrators due to time constraints. With a deteriorating political and economic climate on a national level and citizens keen to explore subjects beyond the narrow confines of their local authority, such as constitutional reform or the establishment of new political parties, the site was in danger of turning into a blog essentially or as an avenue for expressing members frustration.

Although it always was part of the site’s mission statement to increase wider political engagement and awareness this was always to be coupled with meaningful participation andidentifiable action/change. The sudden influx of disparate issues of national nature, many of which theoretical in nature, were obscuring and diverting attention from targeted action that can produce results efficiently and in a timely manner.

In the summer of 2012, I sought to resolve the major problems with the site. Determined to change the site so as to be more user friendly and expand the functions and level of participation and engagement for my visitors and members. Most activities were frozen in order to re-design it. The redone site aired on September, 11^th 2013. It now offers completely separate sections for each municipality and can accommodate any number of them. It is in fact not even confined within Greece and is open to participation to those from the Greek diaspora who maintain ties and interest with the motherland. Further, it is also open to volunteers from any other country who may want to create their own ‘neighbourhood’ corner.

The redesigned site also addresses complaints from its sponsors by providing a business directory for local businesses to advertise their goods and services with improved visuals and marketing tools, such as offering online discount coupons, lotteries, etc.

It also seeks to increase participation through the awarding of ‘social points’ for the publishing of relevant local news and the volunteering of time by the members in administering and maintaining it. These social points correspond to actual funds that the members are free to award to local or even national causes. Members still have to vote in order for the funds to be distributed. The voting system acts both as a tool of engagement and also as a system of assurance to the corporate and local business sponsors who are able to directly affect and check the use of their contributions thus fulfilling their efforts in social responsibility and ensuring a tangible return on their social capital.