Posts Tagged: Human Rights

The questions that I wanted to put towards everyone were:

1. Are we in the midst of a Neo-Artisan Revolution?

2. Are Liberal Democratic societies the ideal system for the Networked information economy?

3. Will an information exchange subsidize areas with poor human development?

I was struck by the phrase “In the networked information economy, the physical capital required for production is broadly distributed throughout society. Personal computers and network connections are ubiquitous. This does not mean that they cannot be used for markets, or that individuals cease to seek market opportunities. It does mean, however, that whenever someone, somewhere, among the billion connected human beings, and ultimately among all those who will be connected, wants to make something that requires human creativity, a computer, and a network connection, he or she can do so—alone, or in cooperation with others”. Is it now that social market economies are returning to the individual and not a large faceless system? Modern society has been built with the financial willpower of large companies and centralized governments. Now that the individual professional has a niche as a large power broker, is this the signal of a new artisan culture? Are we to say that human ingenuity and craft can be upheld as equal to or greater than industry? That is a thought for deliberation.

I mentioned that the opinion of Liberal,Democratic societies being the ideal environment for the Networked information economy. Nowhere in the history of mankind have people been allowed to commit to, a readily available participation in a large and diverse group with a unique range of skills. Not only are the cost benefits enormous but the potential to link multitudes of individuals for change is astronomical. In this system the virtues of individual freedom, a more genuinely participatory political system, a critical culture, and social justice can be attainable. Aside from this idealized vision of how Shirkey and Benkler view a perfect world, I still have doubts.

My concern is how an information exchange can subsidize areas with poor human development. True technology does promote a society that is stable and economically sustainable, to a degree. The use of open source software and humanitarian groups aiding in technology programs for underdeveloped countries does help in generating new opportunities for competing in this globalism world economy. What of local and tertiary problems like ethnic schisms, drought, climate change, a failing health care system and other social problems? I recognize that our digitally linked generation presents a strong cohort to aid in remedying these issues. However, I still feel that society, our entire Networked information economy, must come together as a whole to create a lasting impression.

The Birth of Citizen Journalism

The concept of citizen journalism is a relatively new phenomenon that has played a new role in how citizens interact with the media. No longer is the average citizen a receiver of nightly television broadcasts but is now an active participant in how the news is shaped. In the past few years it has become increasingly clear that the use of social networks and user generated content is now the first link in the media’s distribution of news. I wish to explore and examine the potential this new social trend has.

In the last few years I have seen how the tactics of civil rights groups adapted and changed across the globe. The change is the struggle to counteract measures imposed by governments that have little regard for human rights. In viewing the 2008 documentary “Burma VJ” I watched as how the videographer named “Joshua” shot footage from a concealed Canon camera, and uploaded edited content onto a yahoo account for Radio Free Burma based in Denmark. This method helped capture the exact actions taken during the September 2007 protests by the Burmese government as thousands of protestors took to the streets of Rangoon. In addition to the Burmese opposition using this technology as similar scenario played out on the streets of Tehran in July of the previous year.

The opposition party of Mir-Hossein Mousavi disputed President Ahmadinejad’s reelection by staging a mass protest in the Iranian capital. In response the government ordered a crackdown of all telecommunications centers to disrupt personal cell phone communication as well as text messages directed to outside sources. In a move that stunned the world, the opposition groups turned to social networking sites as well as the micro-blogging site twitter. The Iranian authorities attempted to shut down the nations web services and restart them at lower bandwidths, only to find that the very computer literate activists often used open web proxy servers to get around net sanctions. The conclusion of these examples of social unrest was that anti-authoritarian opposition was digitally mobilized, yet could not be sustained without outside help. It is here that I wish to begin my research.

I hope to examine these two instances while keeping in mind how the citizen journalist theory applies to both. In each instance I will cite the methods that succeeded, what did not succeed, and how the international community could have further assisted them in fighting for their civil rights. This topic will be a sociological case study that will be conducted through virtual ethnography. The theory of Media Determinism will be invaluable as societal norms of communication depend on the means to which individuals collaborate. Keeping in mind that the uses of social networking in these instances are seemingly a utilitarian approach, I will analyze samples of tweets and messages relayed through sites sent out by these activists. I will also examine the government responses to the actions of opposition groups. As this is a new field I hope to uncover new theories and possibilities as to how the public can further exercise its self-determination through our interconnected age.