Wikileaks or not to Wikileaks: Is that the Question?

There seems to be a big line in the sand drawn when it comes to accepting whether total government transparency is a democratic right or whether it is information that can cause too much chaos. One must ask him/herself are we better off for knowing about the private world behind the political curtain or does this information put up bigger walls between countries, thus increasing the chances of more global hostility? What Wikileaks does is show the world what politicians and its Defence Force are like when the camera is off. The people that run the world do not run it as cleanly as we would hope and I think Wikileaks shows us that. The media, large corporations and politicians have had a marvellous union over the past 50 odd years.The media have protected the politicians and the politicians have protected the corporations. As Henry Jenkins states, “convergence is being shaped top-down by the decisions being made by massive media conglomerates , but at the same time, convergence is being shaped bottom-up by the participatory impulses of consumers, who want the ability to control and shape the flow of media in their lives .“ The powers that be must be frustrated deeply by the internet and further more angered by digital activism. Due to the 200,000 odd cables leaked in November 2010, the U.S State and Defence Department are bitter and seeking retribution, the American diplomats are worried and embarrassed. One thing is for certain, after the leaks, Governments are answerable to the public more and answerable to themselves less. This is a good sign. 

Remember the Vietnam War? Unlike other wars, journalists had major access to filming and documenting this war. This back fired for the U.S Government, as it showed horror and collateral bloodshed, which for the first time gave the public negative feedback that previous to this was kept classified. Media theorist, Marshall McLuhan   is quoted as saying,” Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America--not on the battlefields of Vietnam.” While on the other end Ronald Reagan arrogantly quips,” We should declare war on North Vietnam. . . .We could pave the whole country and put parking strips on it, and still be home by Christmas.” I believe Wikieaks and social media, is what video cameras were to the Vietnam War. It in essence it shows society what mainstream media won’t, the ugly side of war and the puppeteers that propagate them. In saying this, also be weary of the Fifth Estate as it can be extremely left wing, autonomous and anarchistic at times. Personally I look at both sides, read between the lines and follow my instincts. The media, corporations, government and Defence Force have a heavier history of lies and corruption, so at this stage I believe activists and digital activists over the plutocrats. 

Let’s take the focus off the U.S for a moment. I think people look at digital activism in a vacuum of sorts. Yes it can expose corruption and help topple over ruthless dictators, like what was seen in the Arab Spring. However I think social media and activism needs to work with governments and corporations, rather than constantly try to undermine them.  After all , Assanges methods, although ground breaking and informative, are not changing Governments behaviour. They are giving repressed societies more chutzpah and provocation, but one needs to put out the coals, not just the fire. Nelson Mandela achieved more working with the people that imprisoned him for 27 years, than fighting them once he was released. Bertot, Jaeger and Grimes of Maryland University illustrate this way of thinking in the Government Information Quarterly by stating”The combination of e-government, social media, Web-enabled technologies, mobile technologies, transparency policy initiatives, and citizen desire for open and transparent government are fomenting a new age of opportunity that has the potential to create open, transparent,efficient, effective, and user-centered ICT-enabled services. Moreover, governments, development agencies and organizations, and citizen groups are increasingly linking investment, governance, and support to the creation of more open and transparent government. It is rare that there is such an alignment of policy, technology, practice, and citizen demand exists—all of which bode well for the creation of technology-enabled government that instills the trust of citizens in government.” At the moment there are digital activists and culture jammers, like Julian Assange and Mark Dery in one corner. In the other corner, Government and Oligopolists like U.S Attorney general Eric Holder and Rupert Murdoch. If a bridge can be built to remove distaste for each other’s point of view, the world may be able to heal itself. In my heart of hearts I find this compromise very unlikely and it comes down to this. The elite have everything to lose and the proletariat and iconoclastic have too much too gain.Year by year the gap is getting bigger.

The answer to all of this lies with the generations to come. Both sides are too set in their ways to change their behaviour in the near future. Perhaps ground roots education and intellectual nourishment of the youth of today needs to be addressed more wholeheartedly. I agree with Henry Jenkins when he states, “Our schools doubly fail kids — offering them neither the insights they need to avoid the risks nor the opportunity to exploit the potentials of this new participatory culture. The up and coming generations need the right guidance to avoid the temptations of power mongering, consumerism, materialism and greed. They also need the light shone on how to work with technology, not for it, be told how to think, not what to think and how face to face contact supersedes face to screen contact. I think social media is moving so fast, we haven’t worked out how to tame the beast yet. One thing is for sure, it is not whether Assange is wrong or right, it is how we all feel about living in a world where we are having more say, but less resolve with that voice. Increasingly I feel I am having less say, in what I thought was a democracy. I have to vote out of two leaders I despise, live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, squeeze into a small campus next semester, read papers with Murdoch s henchmen’s views, watch TV full of non-professionals attempting to sing or lose fat, listen to radio full of YouTube and TV show by-products and watch Australian troops die in wars for oil and land. But hey, I am supposed to look at the glass half full…..the question is what is it half full of.......@#$@!!!

                                         Julian Assange speaks to Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali

References

Bertot, Jaeger and Grimes, 2010, Using ICT's to create a culture of Transparency, Government Information Quarterly, http://www.milthailand.org/phocadownload/2011_Files/11_Nov/transpareny%20government.pdf.

Jenkins, H 2006, Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape, Aca-Fan, http://henryjenkins.org/2006/11/eight_traits_of_the_new_media.html

Guy, M 2011, Revealing the Rot, Quinnipiac University, http://www.academia.edu/1030432/Revealing_the_Rot_How_to_use_social_media_to_expose_corruption_and_mismanagement
_at_both_local_and_national_levels

Fifth estate Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Estate.

Images
1. http://scm-l3.technorati.com/11/05/06/33211/641250-julian-assange-on-time-cover.jpg?t=20110506133747
2. http://academics.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/Vietnam/ThreeImages/images/UtphotoL.jpg
3. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/28/Private_Eye_Cover.jpg/230px-Private_Eye_Cover.jpg

Digital Activism: The Silent Scream

Although I don’t consider myself a digital activist, I do voice my negative opinion of media, government, banks, plutocracy and oligopoly on Facebook. It is also pertinent to mention that I was removed from Facebook temporarily for my pessimistic opinions these topics. At least that is my fervent belief.  I believe the powers that be have the Orwellian microscope out on outspoken digital activists and I don’t need the stress. "The term, digital activism, describes activities or practices that are both in depth and exclusive. In depth in that it encompasses all social and a political campaigning practice that use digital network infrastructure; exclusive in that it excludes practices that are not examples of this type of practice".

           Offline Activist

It is my contention and instinctive belief that there are two sides of a coin and digital activism should be no exception to this rule. Although I have high hopes for the, Fifth Estate, any exchange of knowledge locally or globally needs to be delivered responsibly and truthfully. The reason there are now Five Estates is because the first four have at some stage been corrupted. Digital activism, which tries to rewrite wrongs and give the masses a voice, can also represent people with bias agendas and occasionally delusional goals. On Mary C Joyce’s blog site Meta-Activism, she notes that the importance is not essentially whether digital activism is right or wrong, but more on what factors lead to all its controversy and tension surrounding these new media platforms. Or as F. Scott Fitzgerald aptly puts it “the test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” One thing Joyce maintains is that digital activism involves both political engagement and citizen empowerment. Personally I believe any form of peaceful activism is necessary, especially as the gap between rich and poor increases.  It is also a better path for citizens than political apathy, which in turn leads to further citizen repression and complacency. 

                                                                                                          Offline Activist

There are certain academics like Marshall Ganz that believe that digital activism is best done offline. But this seems like Anglo centric thinking as continents like Asia and Africa haven’t got the organisation, education and mobilisation skills to achieve offline social changes. The Arab Spring and overthrowing of African dictators owes a lot of its success to blogs and SMS. One must also look at countries like China and North Korea where digital activism is forbidden. Both countries seem to be under the mercy and domination of their Government. But Ganz does have a point believing that at some stage the people behind the social media sites have to get together physically. As Lisa Goldman points out in Techpresident, “Egyptian activists always rejected vigorously the notion that social media drove their revolution. It was the outcome of old-fashioned grassroots organizing on the ground, they insisted. To support their claim, they point to the fact that the critical mass of people descended to the streets during the five days the Mubarak regime shut off the Internet and mobile phone networks." Therefore it is safe to acknowledge that both digital and non digital activism works as a coinciding force and distinction between the two isn't as important as the end result.

                                                                                                    Digital Activist

I think digital activism voices the opinions of people that have been unheard for centuries. It is the first time in history that voices and opinions of the globe can be heard at anytime and anyplace. Up until now minorities ruled, however digital activism gives the majority a chance to write the rules. I’d imagine the powers that be would like to limit the amount of social media freedoms. Social media and activism also puts a mirror up to print and analogue media that  previous to now have had political propaganda and spin on its side. Although some activists may abuse the power and sometimes have no journalistic, political or academic background, everyone has a right to be heard. After all that’s what democracy is all about. It is however essential to check all citizen journalists, bloggers and social media spokespeople for authenticity and veracity. Although we all have a right to speak, some don’t have the integrity to be heard. 

 The Arab Spring

 

References

1. Sivitandes, M, 2011, The Era of Digital Activism, Consiar.

2. Wikipedia, Fifth Estate.

3. Joyce, M, 2011, Meta-Activism

4. Goldman, l, 2013, Techpresident.

Images

1.  http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/K/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-9365086-2-402.jpg

2. http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/G/Mahatma-Gandhi-9305898-1-402.jpg

3. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSC0vCFnFS3b9hzprKiZFm3PiXsviZZ6oZCqiEl33wEtnI9UYE_9w

Video

1.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6S8iQ5KSkU