New and Old Media Strengthen Democracy Together
Guobin Yang | Yale Global | June 2009
Recent events in Iran and China have demonstrated the impressive power
of the internet. Iranians used web communication technologies like Twitter to
spread reports and images of their protests worldwide, despite attempts at
government censorship. In China a massive online resistance was formed against
new filter software to be placed in all computers, one which would protect
children form internet pornography, but would also block certain political
sites - not to mention its numerous personal security flaws. These events not
only show the power of the internet as a democratic form of communication,
argues Guobin Yang of Columbia University, but together with established media
they actually strengthen democracy itself.
State intervention online is widespread. It has
existed since the spread of the internet 20 years ago, and yet online citizens,
or "netizens," have grown ever stronger. What is the cause for this? Whether
the protests against the election results in Iran or government encroachment on
the freedom of information in China - the actions center on grievances and
testify to deep-seated public frustration with the conduct of authoritarian
regimes. Protestors' newly acquired power owes its strength to the connection of old and new media. Pictures and messages passed along via Twitter
would have never been so widely distributed if the large TV networks had not
picked them up and transmitted them to global audiences. The Chinese protests
were also covered by reports in the established media. One can argue that mass
media could not report so extensively without the constant stream of news from
citizens. In reality new media has become part of mainstream media power.
The
internet offers the advantage of multiplying a piece of news millions of times
over and achieving sustainable reporting. Theoretically, reports could be made
on nearly every event worldwide as they happen. The result, effectively, would
be a new type of CNN: the Citizen News Network. With the absorption of new
media into established media the pressure on groups and governments responsible
for the grievances grows. For this reason the Chinese government ultimately
abandoned the mandatory installation of the filter software. Though they claimed
this was due to its various security failures of the software, perhaps the
policy shift was another sign of the power of the internet.
This summary was prepared by the Atlantic Community editorial team from "Coping With Digital Revolution: China Offers Green Dam, Iran Faces Neda" published here by Yale Global
Fri, Aug 28th 2009, 21:02
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It is here where one talks about responsibility of media and the differences between media and yellow journalism. Media can only become responsible when it is aware of its role and its responsibilities. Those segements of the population that form the media often succumb to its lure of influence in transitional states - swiftly turning the boon into a bane. So one is left with very little alternative than rely upon educated views in academic journals of repute for serious opinions and views. Such educated views often again come from developed states, since transitional states once again show the same failure that is responsible, in the first place, for their status as a transitional state.
Keeping in mind the very different necessary contexts behind commentators in and from developed states and those that are placed in transitional or developing states (keeping the exported trash from the developed states aside), it becomes important to look at media and its roles with the necessary filters. Globalization as a process is not a stated neo-colonial project that seeks to enslave the erstwhile colonies via exported trash and manipulation of the media! Such an outlook immediately threatens the foundational bases of most developed states. Though much of the exported trash may infact be the rejects of the developed states, finding their salience amidst the ignorant masses, of transitional and third world states. That possibility again raises the backlash via the possibility of the Iranian way that the revolution by Ayatollah Khomeini inidcated.
One often finds that irresponsible media coverage often lends more to global conflicts than responsible media that lends to global peace, including the idea about a global culture that is beginning to hold some currency in the contemporary world. The idea of globalization as an idea that sometimes is ascribed to "civilizations" (largely some amorphous belief in western civilization) is usually the creation of civilization and emocracy held hostage by anarchists and potential terrorists. Academia can become the refuge of many such intrigues as can so-called Think-Tanks.
Between responsible media and those of the anarchist - would state intervention be awareness of these factors? In most cases it is. The idea of globalization and global culture as some kind of "christian" product (which it is not and never was) usually would call for similar attempts of appropriations elsewhere. The idea of globalization and global culture as some kind of "western" product usually would attract similar attempts at appropriations elsewhere. It becomes imperative (for the benefit of the future generations) that one first examines these premises (and the many false premises) of both globalization and the notion of the global culture - before one ventures into examining the pwer of the internet. It is merely the power of globalization - either in the hands of the anarchists or in the hands of responsible people.
Media and media analysis in the hands of responsible people would not be undercutting the foundational bases of most developed democracies. Either way, as one can see it very clearly - like most initiatives in world politics, it always calls for showing one's hands while being aware of germs and other possibilities of infections - including transmitting those! Thankfully not every developed state is either France or Britain or Germany or even the United States (via its Kites and long-haired dressed in black radical left anarchists) - as seen in most transitional states! Via their exports to universities, as directly visible to at least this commentator.