These combined technologies create a space where:

	Unedited footage is generated by four people from diverse social locations.
	The four streams of video footage can be viewed simultaneously on the web (and during the evenings of April 27 and May 4, 2001, on Boston City Hall.)
	Web participants can have conversations and share information related to the footage on an on-line bulletin board.
	Web participants can interact on-line with the camera wearers.
	The Symphony of a City Web site will serve, for at least one year, as a centralized location where Bostonians can share resources and initiatives related to housing and community building.

Do we need technology for democracy? Some argue that all we need for democracy is people, accessible, relevant information, and a meeting place - town halls or plazas will do. Still, in what ways might technology facilitate democracy? Telephones, personal computers and computer networks, photocopiers, fax machines, televisions, and radios, can facilitate democracy by making information accessible and creating innovative ways for people to share ideas and interact. Symphony of a City uses technology to help people engage in discussions about housing and community building and to connect with other Bostonians. Technologies such as personal computers, the internet, and video cameras can create bridges, expanding our awareness by linking us to those outside our familiar worlds.

It is important to recognize that technology also has the potential to hamper or curtail democracy. In a stratified society like ours, where there are extreme differences in wealth and access to resources, technology can serve to reinforce and even exacerbate inequalities. The phrase "digital divide" refers to the disparity in computer access between various racial and economic groups. In order for a project like Symphony of a City to be successful in promoting open and inclusive dialogue, the technologies must be available to all. Thanks to the work of community computing centers, who make computer equipment publicly available, Symphony of a City will be accessible to a wide range of people. Designated terminals to view Symphony of a City will be available at teh BNN Multimedia Center, Roxbury, Codman Square Community Health Center Technology center, Dorchester, MA, the CPCS Computer Lab at the University of Massachusetts/Boston, The Copley Society of Boston, Boston, and Newland Media Education Center, Malden, MA.

There are many past and present examples of people using technologies, such as cable television, radio, camcorders, and the internet, for democratic purposes - that is, to make available a wide variety of perspectives, especially those overlooked in mainstream media.

Black Liberation Radio Operated by African-American activist M'banna Kantako out of a housing project in Springfield, Illinois, this low watt radio station is famous for its political analysis.

George Holiday used his camcorder to record Los Angeles police attacking Rodney King, leading to, among other things, a greater popular awareness of police brutality in that city.

Zapatistas An indigenous Mexican grassroots social movement for self determination has used the internet to create worldwide awareness of their struggles.

Central Square Conversations is a web site devoted to conversations about the revitalization of Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.