Joshua Fouts
Encyclopedia
Joshua Fouts is a US digital media
and cultural relations strategist
, entrepreneur
, and writer
known for his work and research
helping to define the evolving role of emerging technology on business and culture. He co-founded and directed the Online Journalism Review, the first digital publication of its kind, two think tanks the Online Journalism & Communication Center, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, has taught graduate courses on the applied use of new media for business and cultural relations at the University of Southern California
Annenberg School, before joining Dancing Ink Productions where he has co-directed numerous projects with Rita J. King on digital identity, community, collaboration, branding and cultural relations. Fouts is a senior fellow for Digital Media and Public Policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress , a Next Generation Fellow at The American Assembly
, and a former senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
.
, California
, USA after which his parents moved to Reno
, Nevada
where his father Roger Fouts
started to gain notoriety for his work as a primate research scientist with the chimpanzee Washoe
. This story is documented in Roger Fouts
's 1997 best-selling biography Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees
In 1981 when the chimpanzee research project lost its federal funding from the NSF
and could not afford to hire graduate students, 14-year-old Joshua worked as a lab researcher collecting chimpanzee behavioral data for the project.
At 16 he was a Rotary International
Foreign Exchange Student in Brasília
, Brazil
, during Brazil's 1984 direct-voting independence civil uprising Diretas, Já
which he has cited as one of the single largest influencers of his career: "I witnessed a country transform itself. And being witness to that transformation lead me to form a better understanding about humanity and its capacity for transformation toward mutual understanding." Twenty-five-years later he would go on to collaborate on a virtual worlds project with Luis Inácio Lula da Silva one of Brazil's first democratically-elected presidents bringing then-Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil
into the virtual world of Second Life
.
and IRC just before the First Gulf War in which he began chatting with Israeli graduate students while Scud bombs landed over Israel: "My updates about the invasion came from students in Tel Aviv who told me, via IRC, about Scud missiles landing in their city as it was happening. This experience cemented my perspective on how Internet technology was going to impact the way people around the world would learn about each other. I wanted to be a part of using communications technologies to build dialogue and understanding."
He went on to become a Presidential Management Fellow at the Voice of America
at the US Department of State (at the former United States Information Agency
) and ultimately became Deputy Chief-of-Staff to the Director where he was part of the team that streamed VOA audio in 52 languages using what became REAL Audio. In 1994 he worked to install video cameras in radio booths years before Talk Radio adopted the now-ubiquitous practice. He was part of the team that developed what became voanews.com, which was the first broadcast news organization in the world to offer continuously updated program product on the public Internet. He worked on numerous public diplomacy projects throughout the world, including ; public affairs efforts at U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil; negotiations with the former Soviet Republics to lease transmitters formerly used to jam VOA signals; and development of the first-ever TV/radio/Internet simulcast to Asia.
In 2003 he co-founded and directed the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, the first foreign policy think-tank dedicated to exploring cultural relations and public diplomacy, growing it into a worldwide resource center for ideas and innovation. While there he was a champion for helping governments and countries worldwide understand the potential value of new media for brand identity and outreach.
In 2005 he was one of the first researchers to propose and direct a project illuminating how games and virtual worlds could be used for cultural relations for which he received major grants from the Richard Lounsbery and John D. and Catherine T MacArthur Foundations.
He went on in 2008 to embark on a groundbreaking journey with Rita J. King to research the applied value of virtual worlds for cultural engagement, which culminated in their 2009 report, graphic novel
and documentary published by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
, "Digital Diplomacy: Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds" which was presented to the Obama White House at its invitation.
Fouts has collaborated with Rita J. King on a series of projects exploring new ways to understand the future of work and education, through cultural outreach, journalism, health science education, brand engagement and cultural diplomacy through major projects for the British Council
, the American University in Cairo
IBM
, Battery Dance Company and Manpower Inc
.
He writes and speaks regularly about social media, digital media, identity, branding and cultural relations.
, an editorial board of the International Place Branding Yearbook, the Public Diplomacy Council, and a former senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
, former board member of the International Visitor's Council of Los Angeles, the Institute for Photographic Empowerment, and the Friends of Washoe Foundation.
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
and cultural relations strategist
Strategist
A design strategist has the ability to combine the innovative, perceptive and holistic insights of a designer with the pragmatic and systemic skills of a planner to guide strategic direction in context of business needs, brand intent, design quality and customer values...
, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
known for his work and research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
helping to define the evolving role of emerging technology on business and culture. He co-founded and directed the Online Journalism Review, the first digital publication of its kind, two think tanks the Online Journalism & Communication Center, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, has taught graduate courses on the applied use of new media for business and cultural relations at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Annenberg School, before joining Dancing Ink Productions where he has co-directed numerous projects with Rita J. King on digital identity, community, collaboration, branding and cultural relations. Fouts is a senior fellow for Digital Media and Public Policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress , a Next Generation Fellow at The American Assembly
The American Assembly
The American Assembly, a non-partisan public policy forum, was founded in 1950 by Dwight D. Eisenhower and has become his most enduring achievement and legacy as Columbia University president...
, and a former senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is a New York City-based a 5013 public charity serving international affairs professionals, teachers and students, and the attentive public. Founded in 1914, and originally named Church Peace Union, Carnegie Council is an independent and...
.
Early years
Fouts was born in InglewoodInglewood
-Australia:*Inglewood, Queensland*Inglewood, Victoria*Inglewood, Western Australia-England:*Inglewood, a house in Cheshire*Inglewood Forest, Cumberland-United States:*Inglewood, California*Inglewood, Nebraska*Inglewood, Mecklenburg County, Virginia...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA after which his parents moved to Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
where his father Roger Fouts
Roger Fouts
Roger S. Fouts is an American primate researcher. He is co-director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Washington, and a professor of psychology at the Central Washington University...
started to gain notoriety for his work as a primate research scientist with the chimpanzee Washoe
Washoe (chimpanzee)
Washoe was a chimpanzee who was the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language, as part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition....
. This story is documented in Roger Fouts
Roger Fouts
Roger S. Fouts is an American primate researcher. He is co-director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Washington, and a professor of psychology at the Central Washington University...
's 1997 best-selling biography Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees
Next of Kin (nonfiction)
Next of Kin is a book by Roger Fouts combining his experiences with Washoe and other chimpanzees who learned American Sign Language, and a polemic in favor of great ape personhood.-References:...
In 1981 when the chimpanzee research project lost its federal funding from the NSF
NSF
-Politics:* National Service Framework, any of a series of British government policies on medical care* National Socialist Front, a Swedish Nazi party* NS-Frauenschaft, the women's wing of the former German Nazi party...
and could not afford to hire graduate students, 14-year-old Joshua worked as a lab researcher collecting chimpanzee behavioral data for the project.
At 16 he was a Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
Foreign Exchange Student in Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, during Brazil's 1984 direct-voting independence civil uprising Diretas, Já
Diretas Já
Diretas Já Now) was a civil unrest movement which, in 1984, demanded direct presidential elections in Brazil.-Participants of the movement: The movement brought together diverse elements of Brazilian society. Participants came from a broad spectrum of political parties, trade unions, civil,...
which he has cited as one of the single largest influencers of his career: "I witnessed a country transform itself. And being witness to that transformation lead me to form a better understanding about humanity and its capacity for transformation toward mutual understanding." Twenty-five-years later he would go on to collaborate on a virtual worlds project with Luis Inácio Lula da Silva one of Brazil's first democratically-elected presidents bringing then-Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
into the virtual world of Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
.
Early Career
In 1991 a fellow graduate student introduced him to the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and IRC just before the First Gulf War in which he began chatting with Israeli graduate students while Scud bombs landed over Israel: "My updates about the invasion came from students in Tel Aviv who told me, via IRC, about Scud missiles landing in their city as it was happening. This experience cemented my perspective on how Internet technology was going to impact the way people around the world would learn about each other. I wanted to be a part of using communications technologies to build dialogue and understanding."
He went on to become a Presidential Management Fellow at the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
at the US Department of State (at the former United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
) and ultimately became Deputy Chief-of-Staff to the Director where he was part of the team that streamed VOA audio in 52 languages using what became REAL Audio. In 1994 he worked to install video cameras in radio booths years before Talk Radio adopted the now-ubiquitous practice. He was part of the team that developed what became voanews.com, which was the first broadcast news organization in the world to offer continuously updated program product on the public Internet. He worked on numerous public diplomacy projects throughout the world, including ; public affairs efforts at U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil; negotiations with the former Soviet Republics to lease transmitters formerly used to jam VOA signals; and development of the first-ever TV/radio/Internet simulcast to Asia.
Early Projects
In 1997 he co-founded the USC Annenberg Online Journalism and Communication Center, which he also directed, and co-founded and edited its flagship publication, OJR, The Online Journalism Review, the first online-only digital media magazine chronicling how the Internet was changing the face of journalism before the journalism industry took serious notice. During his tenure, he grew OJR into an internationally recognized suite of publications, including OnlineJournalism.com, one of the first "blogs" (before the term was coined) covering the development of online journalism worldwide.In 2003 he co-founded and directed the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, the first foreign policy think-tank dedicated to exploring cultural relations and public diplomacy, growing it into a worldwide resource center for ideas and innovation. While there he was a champion for helping governments and countries worldwide understand the potential value of new media for brand identity and outreach.
In 2005 he was one of the first researchers to propose and direct a project illuminating how games and virtual worlds could be used for cultural relations for which he received major grants from the Richard Lounsbery and John D. and Catherine T MacArthur Foundations.
Recent Projects
Digital Diplomacy:He went on in 2008 to embark on a groundbreaking journey with Rita J. King to research the applied value of virtual worlds for cultural engagement, which culminated in their 2009 report, graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
and documentary published by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is a New York City-based a 5013 public charity serving international affairs professionals, teachers and students, and the attentive public. Founded in 1914, and originally named Church Peace Union, Carnegie Council is an independent and...
, "Digital Diplomacy: Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds" which was presented to the Obama White House at its invitation.
Fouts has collaborated with Rita J. King on a series of projects exploring new ways to understand the future of work and education, through cultural outreach, journalism, health science education, brand engagement and cultural diplomacy through major projects for the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
, the American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Battery Dance Company and Manpower Inc
Manpower Inc.
ManpowerGroup is a workforce solutions and services provider company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established by Elmer Winter and Aaron Scheinfeld in 1948. It was acquired by Blue Arrow of Britain in 1987, but became independent again in 1991.The directors include...
.
He writes and speaks regularly about social media, digital media, identity, branding and cultural relations.
Affiliations
Fouts is a senior fellow for Digital Media and Public Policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, a Next Generation Fellow at The American AssemblyThe American Assembly
The American Assembly, a non-partisan public policy forum, was founded in 1950 by Dwight D. Eisenhower and has become his most enduring achievement and legacy as Columbia University president...
, an editorial board of the International Place Branding Yearbook, the Public Diplomacy Council, and a former senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is a New York City-based a 5013 public charity serving international affairs professionals, teachers and students, and the attentive public. Founded in 1914, and originally named Church Peace Union, Carnegie Council is an independent and...
, former board member of the International Visitor's Council of Los Angeles, the Institute for Photographic Empowerment, and the Friends of Washoe Foundation.