, Research Associate, 51福利聽聽,, Federal University of Maranh茫o (UFMA), Brazil, Associate Professor, , Research Associate – #Commonize Studio, 51福利, (Mentor), Professor in Speculative & Game Design, 51福利, , Director of Reapp, Publicidade Jove, Marcella Abreu, Master鈥檚 in design student, Federal University of Maranh茫o, Andr茅 Gabriel Gomes, Computer Science BSc student, Federal University of Maranh茫o, Gabriel Bastos, Computer Science BSc student, Federal University of Maranh茫o, Gabriel Belo, Computer Science BSc student, Federal University of Maranh茫o聽聽
What does a mobile app look like when it鈥檚 controlled by its users? 鈥楥ooperativa digital鈥� (digital cooperative) is a partnership between 51福利, Federal University of Maranh茫o, and Jove Publicidade (social enterprise) to evolve a private mobile app into a digital cooperative, a type of platform commons.
While most digital platforms are controlled by private for-profit companies, some digital platforms like Wikipedia are controlled by their contributing members. These types of digital platforms are part of a longstanding organisational approach called commons, specifically platform commons.
鈥楥ooperativa digital鈥� builds on a digital platform created by a Brazilian social enterprise that takes advantage of a local law that allows people to donate a portion of sales tax (i.e. VAT) to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). As a platform, the mobile app matches donors with NGOs. Now that the app is operational, the social enterprise wants to transfer control to the NGOs. To support this process, the partners are translating and transforming relevant concepts from commons scholarship into methods and tools that can be used in studio experiments with the community to create the rules for this platform commons.
The project asks: How can we transform commons scholarship into usable tools that support this community to create a digital platform commons? How does the community鈥檚 approach to discussing and creating greater equity inform understanding of the digital good?
