“A network of peripheries – what was a permanent periphery can now become a new centre”. I loved that quote in the lecture. The idea that any node in a network can become a hub. A network of hubs. Or a network with no hub, and only decentralised control. This is essentially how SNS’s thrive. Of course any successful SNS has a centralised hub, but it is only necessary to support the network, not spread information.
This week we’re looking at the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. Back in January, Wael Ghonim reached out to Egyptian youths through Facebook, to encourage them to participate. For his efforts, he was thrown in jail to 12 days.
The ability to mass organize an event such as a protest in a Middle Eastern country, shows the true power of social networks ability to reach people. A few years back we had parents calling talkback radio shows and writing in to morning shows about how they’re worried their kids are going to post details of their party on Facebook, and an entire suburb will show up. Social networks have become so powerful now, it’s reached a point where Governments are worried about social revolution spreading on Facebook.
All through this semester we’ve been talking about social revolution in the digital world. And that is what this all is at the core of it, social revolution, which is nothing new. There’s just a new way of going about it.
I really liked this discussion. It is so interesting to see the way in which the ways of protest have changed. We have transitioned from the traditional physical protest of chants and banners to now videos, blogs, articles, websites and online discussions through social media.
ReplyDeleteI believe social media to be a large tool in promoting causes and protest but it is not the reason for protest. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebooks are mere microphones where protesters broadcast their message through pages and tweets. It is however important to consider that because these social networks provide an arena for many-to-many communication it is because of this that many choose it for protest. It is also easier to monitor the effects of your protest online by viewing your likes, comments and tags. This is exactly why such platforms act as a tool for protest.
I think it is so interesting the way social media has become part of the revolution discussion. While there's still debate about its role, I think one of its main advantages is the speed at which it can connect people and mobilise protesters. You're right that at this point social revolution is nothing new, only the rules of engagement have changed, but I think in the future we're going to witness this technology play a more clever and engaged role in social development and public life. Here is a fantastic, though lengthy, video that I found while researching for my class presentation. It shows a panel of scholars discussing social media in the Arab Spring. Worth a look!
ReplyDeleteI think social networking is starting to highlight and articulate us as we are-nodes in a large system.
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