2. HYPOTHESIS
This thesis presents the hypothesis that the aspirational
gaming term, “leveling up”, meaning to acquire additional
power and responsibility through the accomplishment
of specific quests, may be applied to re-imagining the
fostering of political leadership.
Leveling up suggests heroic, almost superhuman abilities
as an appropriate description of the efforts needed to
resolve wicked, elusively complex, societal problems
typically encountered in the political arena.
In contrast to current methods of ascertaining political power,
which are ambiguous and reductive, this thesis will show
the ability of an activity-based progression system to
foster political leadership more pragmatically and effectively.
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
4. Research Outline
Design for Good
- What is designing for good?
- What could designs role be in gov. and politics?
New Media
- What is new media?
- What is new media’s rold in society?
- What is new media’s role in gov. and politics?
Government & Politics
- What is gov. and politics?
- Can the functionality of these things be improved upon?
- How and why?
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
5. “...In our society, with a free political system,
you lead not by command but by persuasion.
And persuasion, my uncle used to tell me,
is a two-edged sword: reason and emotion.
Plunge it deep.”
-Donald Rumsfeld
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
10. “...In our society, with a free political system,
you lead not by command but by persuasion.
And persuasion, my uncle used to tell me,
is a two-edged sword: reason and emotion.
Plunge it deep.”
-Donald Rumsfeld
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
13. “I study social media, which means, to a first
approximation, I watch people argue.”
“...If I had to pick a group that I think...is our
generation’s collection of people trying to take
these (social) tools and to press it into service,
not for more arguments, but for better arguments,
I’d pick the open-source programmers.”
-Clay Shirky
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
15. “...I would love to tell you that because (open-source)
tools are in place, (democratic) innovation is inevitable.
But it’s not...
The people experimenting with participation don’t
have legislative power, and (those with) legislative
power are not experimenting with participation.”
-Clay Shirky
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
16. “...I would love to tell you that because (open-source)
tools are in place, (democratic) innovation is inevitable.
But it’s not...
The people experimenting with participation don’t
have legislative power, and (those with) legislative
power are not experimenting with participation.”
-Clay Shirky
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
17. PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING
“Give your ideas. City Council-
member Brad Lander has set
aside $1 million to fund them.
Your votes will decide which
projects get funded.”
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
18. Where does design fit in?
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
19. OpenIDEO
Crowdsourcing Social Good
All concepts generated are
shareable, remix-able and
reusable by anyone.
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
21. I envision a GitHub-like community of creating civic value.
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
22. Source List
Design for Good
Do Good Design: How Designers Can Change the World by David B. Berman
Communication Design: Principles, Methods, and Practice Jorge Frascara
Design’s Delight Jan vanToorn
New Media
The Penguin and the Leviathan Yochai Benkler
Cognitive Surplus Clay Shirky
Here Comes Everybody Clay Shirky
Government & Politics
Digital Media and Democracy: Tactics in Hard Times Megan Boler (Editor)
Politics For Dummies Ann DeLaney
Cybering Democracy: Public Space and the Internet Diana Saco
RHETT BRADBURY/////THESIS 1/////PROF. TOM KLINKOWSTEIN/////PRAT GRAD COMMD/////FALL 2012
