Media. Communication. Protest.
September 19, 2009 in Code, Content, Tubes by Michael Cervieri
Over the past decade groups around the world have utilized Internet communication technologies during crisis to broadcast their message to local and global communities. Tubes, Code & Content looks at three case studies to see how this has been done. In the process we see that over the years, the ability to harness Internet communications is moving from formal organizations to anyone with actual Internet access.
Case studies include:
- B92, an oppositional radio station in Milosevic’s Yugoslavia;
- Sokwanele, an oppositional group under Mugabe’s Zimbabwe;
- Iran Elections, a mass protest against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2009 reelection.
Before we review them though, we explore the the significance of the shear amount of digital content being produced on a global scale. In doing so we learn that 20 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube per minute and the digital equivalent of a US Library of Congress is created every 15 minutes. What challenges does this present? What does such mass creation signify?
Run time is approximately one hour. Our review of digital creation takes place up to approximately minute thirty. Discussion of B92, Zimbabwe and Iran occur from there until the end.
Both the video and the presentation can be downloaded by selecting the links below.
- The “Media. Communication. Protests.” Screencast. iTouch/iPhone compatible. (160 MB .m4v file)
- The “Media. Communication. Protests.” PDF. Includes active links to sites and sources referenced in the presentation.
UPDATE: Creative Cloud has a post from the other day called If You Printed the Internet. Fun stuff. Includes factoids such as, if the Internet was a book, it would weigh 1.2 billion pounds and measure 10,000 feet tall.
I love those kinds of facts, I think they are very useful to gauge the amount of information that is out there on the Web.
Last class seemed really interesting, and I thought that the three case studies were very illustrative of how social media can help to generate a profound social and political change.
I also wanted to share with you a Clay Shirky Ted Talk, which I´ve just come across with, named “How social media can make history.” I thought it was pretty interesting, and all of a sudden his book made more sense. Don´t think it´s possible to insert links here, but anyway here it is. Hope you´ll find it interesting.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history.html
Mariana
My interest in social media and the role of the internet in social change was sparked by mass protests to elections in Moldova this past April. The mobilization of 15,000 Moldovan youth was unexpected and was largely attributed to Twitter and Facebook . It made me realize the potential that the internet and, in particular social media, can play in movements for social change. It inspired me to expand beyond Facebook and open up a Twitter account for my work with the Retail Action Project, a worker center for NYC retail workers. I work with youth and thought if I could mobilize a 150 young NYC retail workers I’d be happy.
Online social media has removed barriers of communication and in doing so has increased potential for deeper dialogue and for inspiring action. Young people are now developing and expressing identity through social media. One would think that social media as a site for identity formation creates the potential to develop deeper connections to an issue. However I find much of the ways that my organization uses Facebook and Twitter touches the surface of the potential. We mobilize for meetings and rallies and also try to make new connections with retail workers and engage in dialogue. However, I often find the engagement with workers on social media to be somewhat superficial. A worker we engage on Facebook does not necessarily translate into a worker involved in action. It makes me wonder what are the conditions that make Twitter and Facebook tools for mass mobilization? Twitter and Facebook are amazing tools for social movements and popular resistance, such as in the case of the contentious elections in Moldova and Iran. However what the potential of using these tools for social change beyond the context of popular unrest?
Thanks for the link to the Clay Shirky TED Talk, Mariana (it did work). It’s actually a pretty good summary of some of his key concepts from the book, and there is another video on the webpage from 2005 that covers others (coordination costs, institutional loss, and cooperative infrastructure). His opening points on a public movement to monitor polling stations certainly relates to our first class discussion. The impact of technologies, such as the prevalence of the Nokia phones in Nigeria and their influence on free elections, will certainly continue to grow. In a past job I worked with local Afghan leaders, and some of the poorest community leaders still often had cell phones. The ability to communicate helped coordinate action against corruption stemming from the larger cities of Kabul and Kandahar, with the Kandahar district police forces being particularly troublesome. I wonder what future steps will be taken to integrate social technologies and media into such dire circumstances? In a realm where resources don’t exist to support many institutional costs, mass collaboration could make huge strides in improving the welfare of communities.
Hi Tubers – In our first class, we spoke about the lightening-speed growth of Twitter, which Michael aptly called the the “darling of the social media world.” It has been surrounded by so much hype that prior to the elections in Iran, I found it difficult to understand the true value of the site. But its power to quickly and easily connect people, spread information, share content, and attract new users is unparalleled.
What’s interesting is that this media magnet, which has reshaped the Internet and new media landscape overall, has yet to produce any revenue. Of course, it’s not alone in this regard. Facebook is famously struggling with monetization through ads that walk the fine line of turning off its users. But Twitter somehow seems above all that. The front page of Friday’s New York Times Business Day included a piece entitled “Twitter Appears Set to Raise $100 Million, Valuing it at $1 Billion.” Investors seem to be so confident in Twitter, which now boasts 54 million users per month, that they are laying down major capital to further fund and develop the site. (What happened to the recession?)
I am curious to see how Twitter will handle its rapid rise and how its billion dollar valuation will affect its power to precipitate change. The article, for anyone interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/technology/internet/25twitter.html
@monika: Facebook seems to be about breaking even these days. for an interesting take on overall valuation, see this lively article on Techcrunch.
@russ: i’m looking forward to hearing more about your thoughts on cell phones and their potential to help coordinate citizens.
@carrie: i was actually going to use moldova as an example because it is a good one. so too myanmar/burma.
@mariana: thanks for sharing clay’s talk. looking forward to talking about it.
hi tubers (@monika, i like that moniker for us all),
i decided to take this class based out of my love-hate relationship to social media. many of my friends are deeply entrenched in the social media front, both professionally and personally, but i have battled it b/c of my questions about privacy, the fine line between sharing information versus people’s voyeuristic/exhibitionistic tendencies.
that being said, as a development consultant with CGI, i came across many innovative ways that social media and new technology are being used for social causes, and it’s actually rather inspiring.
@russ to your point about Nokia, don’t know if you heard about the new expansion plan that Nokia recently announced, but check it out.
http://www.nokia.com/press/press-releases/showpressrelease?newsid=1337248
i think the really cool part about it is that it will be cross-platform, and allows non-nokia phone users to have access to m-banking.
along those lines, i recently worked with MPower Labs, which is an R&D arm of a VC firm called MPower Ventures. they recently launched MPower Mobile, which has an iPhone app called YAP (Pay backwards) which allows users to send/receive payments via SMS technology. pretty cool stuff.
http://www.mpowermobile.com/
http://www.mpowerlabs.com/
i believe Twitter is developing the ability to send remittances via tweets as well.
Hi
I have been interested in internet marketing and social web pages as a marketing toll for arts. So, I decided to take this course in order to learn more about new media.
I have thought that new media is very effective marketing tool and also I have used new media for my personal usage like social networking, googling for information or watching video clips for fun. However, from the first class, I realzied diverse effects of new media like how stronly they are influenced on changing society.
I am excited to learn and hear much dirverse perspectives about new media from this class.
@russ et al
re using cell phones for social change (or tips on when best time to plant might be) http://questionbox.org/
FYI, a story by Ron Nixon from 9/27 NYT on foundation supported organizations offering information via hotline when computer access is limited
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/technology/internet/28village.html