Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

12.9.10 | As we blogged about last week, members of the millennial generation are looking to online platforms for grassroots activism both locally and globally.  “Yoxi,” a new competition and social game where teams of problem solvers compete to come up with the best solutions to social problems, is taking advantage of that digital savvy.

Teams show their ideas in short videos, and votes from other players determine the winner. Winning teams receive start-up funds, industry connections, mentoring and exposure.

The game blends crowdsourcing, traditional gaming features such as levels and point systems and reality TV-like elements such as voting for your favorite video and behind-the-scenes sneak peaks. The more a player advances in the game, the more influence his or her votes have in choosing a favorite team.

For the pilot, Yoxi challenged four teams to increase cycling in urban areas. The winning team created a mobile app that connects cyclists to one another with route sharing, bike storage information and personal trip statistics.

The current challenge, “Reinvent Fast Food,” is in the final round with two teams competing to promote healthy alternatives to fast food. Solutions still in the running include a coupon system designed to attract people to healthy eating and getting inspiration from international street food.

“We live in an age of social media (Yoxi.tv itself is a perfect example),” said one commenter on a finalist video from a team called “The Beet Squad”.

“It’s time to harness the power for a good cause. We need to look to the generations that use social media daily, because they will most likely benefit most from eating inexpensive, quick yet healthy food. Bravo Beet Squad.”

You can sign up to play and vote for your favorite solutions here. Winners will be announced on Dec. 15.

Selection for the next competition will begin in January 2011. Possible topics include education, clean energy, recycling, and health.