Bernard O'Shea: Why not try a Dublin-style portal in twinned towns around Ireland?

Efforts to implement solutions, such as blurring the video feed, could have been better. The project’s coordinators scrambled to find adequate technical fixes. As a result, the portal was frequently switched off. Despite these setbacks, most interactions through the portal have been positive, and if we just think about its potential, it could be fantastic.

Imagine turning the portal into a live workshop on urban gardening right in the heart of Dublin, with an expert from New York demonstrating how to turn your apartment balcony into a green oasis. Educational sessions on composting, up-cycling, and energy conservation could be regularly streamed, offering practical knowledge that individuals can adopt daily. 

Experts in a public place on each side of the globe and obviously supervision for live events. It could be the visual billboard we need to rapidly make our lives and the planet a better place. It could be used to inspire viewers. Viewers who are casually walking past that will never type “How do I conserve water?” into their Google search bar. Viewers like me! Yes, it’s a wide cast, but it’s a start. 

Schools and community groups could also benefit from transforming the portal into a live classroom. Topics such as climate change, biodiversity, and recycling could be explored in depth while also taking in the wax works on your school tour fostering a deeper understanding of environmental issues among young learners and the broader public. The sky is the limit regarding the talent and expertise the USA could livestream to us. 

Knowledge is power, and that knowledge can be provided free to all, but here’s the key in a public place. Despite the occasional disruption, the portal could also become a vibrant community and cultural engagement space. Simultaneous community clean-up events in both cities could be a regular feature, with participants sharing their progress live, creating a sense of shared purpose and accomplishment. Sustainable food fairs, showcasing local, organic, and fair-trade products, could also take centre stage.

Cultural exchanges could be another highlight. Artists, musicians, comedians and performers from Dublin and New York could share works that focus on positive themes, fostering a global sense of community through the universal language of art. While the portal’s live feed has occasionally been hijacked by individuals seeking attention with inappropriate acts, as alluded to previously, most interactions have been positive. 

You’ll always get a few idiots, but I think our perspective would change once people see that there could be an actual benefit from it. In fairness, it is much more than a public zoom call. If used right, these portals could become commonplace in every major city. Think about those ‘twinned with’ signs outside every town in Ireland. How about seeing that place every day and what they’re up to?

This spirit of connection and shared responsibility will ultimately define the success of this ambitious project, transforming it from a digital spectacle into a meaningful driver of ideas and collaboration..

In a digital landscape where people can hide behind usernames, the Dublin-New York livestream portal most definitely stands out by making us show our faces (and yes, we have the potential to show other bodily features, too) to those we’re connecting with. 

But as much as the technology seems like a white elephant, the interactions that this current curio could spark, especially as a public portal, could just be exactly what we need. Surely I’m not its only fan?