Role of the Internet and Social Media Networks in Mediated Protest - Essay Example

?Role Of Internet And Social Media Networks In Mediated Protest Internet and social media has been used for several purposes including fun, research and fast communication. Internet is to the 21st century youngsters what newspapers were for our grandparents and television sets were for our parents. ‘Pen is mightier than sword’ explained the impact of the print media on the early 20th century youngsters. The same proverb is applicable to television sets and modern day internet. Media had always been used as a playground for protests. Political uprisings, freedom fighting, cultural revolutions everything wants a fuel to kindle them. Media has always provided that energetic stimulation necessary for creating massive changes in this world from time unknown. This paper explores the role of the internet and social media in general on mediated protests. It studies about the influence they create and the real capacity of social media websites in general through various case studies and examples. Our conclusion is that media can play a persuasive role in making people feel emotional through its sensational coverage and contagious nature. But, the feelings of social media generated appraisals and internet based media protests are short lived, unless and until there are other severe problems linked with the protest. Introduction Media activism always arises from the underlying problem in the society. People who want to change some social evil or political dictatorship use media as a means to create public awareness among the fellow citizens. Media activism conceptualizes in three different layers. The core layer comprises the intellectuals like revolutionaries and journalists in whose brain the seed for the change occurs. The next outer layer surrounding this core layer consists of the affected parties directly. The third layer consists of the general public who are not directly affected by the problem, but understands the need for the change. Consider mast protest occurring in protest of child molestation or female education. The people who actually start the sensational campaign in the media against this evil will be an NGO worker or a journalist or a social worker linked closely with the media or who approaches the media directly and have the capacity to influence them to take up the issue ((Hackett & Carroll, 2005). The second layer of people is the families or the youngsters who have been affected by the fact directly. The media protesters use them as a tool to gain sympathy and create empathy. They showcase their plight as an example to others. The third a year people are the general public that get affected by sites and extend their support to the movements for justice. A normal man connected his family does not get affected directly by the problem, but feels he has the need to fight to ensure this daughter gets a chance to have a better indication than his wife or mother. Media has always been successful in garnering useful protests against several social injustices starting from colonialism to modern-day corruption. Various types of media like newspapers, television, Internet, everything is used as a means to connect these three layers together and Kindle revolution or mediated protest in full-fledge quickly ( Haulslohner, 2011). The recent protests occurring in the world over the past decade have mostly been inconvenienced by the Internet and the social media websites rather than the television over the newspapers. Be it the sensation created about the corrupt government by the WikiLeaks or Egyptian lotus revolution internet was behind these incidents. However, we have to analyse critically whether Internet do play a critical role in instigating these protests really. On the outer level it appears like internet influences our life to a massive level. But, considering various practical theories, it cannot bring about any massive changes immediately . The Resource Mobilization Theory or RMT and is how the media protesters come into action. The theory states media activists or no great intellectuals. In fact, they do not have any collective identity (Hackett & Carroll, 2005). They start working as a group to what is already talk to them as ideal. Over the years there have been many protests, which originated from the media. But we can only remember a very few names connected to media evolved leaders. Most of the leaders simply use Internet television and the mediums as a platform to gain popularity and popularise their actual principles. That media protests haven’t created in a great leader so far ( Nomani, 2007). Media protesters registered their thoughts through the Internet in various ways. They can use graffiti, right on blogs, gather for levels on social media network sites or simply start a website and start boasting about their own thoughts. They might prove successful for a short period of time. If the matter be taken into hand is quite sensational. But the long-term results of such mediated protests or usually nil according to the various studies conducted on them. In 2003 massive Internet campaigns that launched against Diebold Company, which created the computerised voting machines. Thousands of bloggers and Internet activists extend their support to the protest. As a result, the missions were taken back and paper polling continued for a few more years in the country. This incident is looked upon as great success for media and Internet oriented protests in the early days. But there are rather underlying facts to be considered. The electronic voting machines produced by the Diebold Company actually had many technical problems. Further, the people did not know how to use them properly. The Internet did have a massive role in pointing out the problems in the process. But the so-called intellectual protesters did not suggest a solution to change the same. Many could have come up with practical solutions to improve the mission or the process. But none of that happened. Electronic voting nation’s are used in many Third World countries and developing countries like India, even though they lack the technology and sophistication available in the US and the other Western countries. These nations who handle more number of voters than the Western countries conduct fair polls using them much easily. Mediated protests without any proper a lead to such failure is more often than grand successes. After the tradition revolution and the Egyptian lotus revolution which took place nearly at the same time, many people started to overestimate the power of social media websites very easily. There are various underlying issues in these countries other than the power of social media websites. These countries political system was a big fuming volcano ready to burst out at any moment. It just got kindled by the suicide of a Tunisian youth. The revolution would have occurred in the country no matter they had internet or not. The fact that only 21% of the Egyptian population use internet and only 33.4% of the Tunisians know how to browse is the greatest proof that social media alone did not provoke the protest. Media is just a tool, and it can be used in different ways that it falls under the hand of different people. Many hackers used the Internet to provide free music and software at the beginning of this century. Open source software was a concept proposed by them. What was once looked upon as a serious crime is $ 1 billion business now. It does not mean that legalising all the hacker acts will help. Whether good or bad the changes brought about by the media protesters are the reflections of the society in general. The entities of media like them Internet on the social media network do not have a separate role in framing the society. They are weird tools of communication which help in reflecting the various thoughts of different groups of people in a cheaper way on a wider environment. Silverstone and Bainbridge theorised media rightly as a transitional space where creativity and reality meet. Modern-day Internet protesters express their views regarding various topics like war, capitalism, environmental issues, as well as globalisation in a profound manner (Marcuse, 2001). They get a chance to learn more about these topics in a vivid manner through the Internet and express their support or protest regarding a certain issue through email campaigns and various other forms of Internet protests. This is referred to as reconstructed models of citizenships and new form of political activism by Marcuse. Several examples can be stated for the same from the emails we get to support or protest a particular bill. For example, an email which was circulated to millions of US citizens opposing President Obama’s moves to curb the oil drilling by the Shell Company in the Alaska area. The bill was postponed for a substantial amount of time due to massive protests from the netizens. A rape of an Indian girl created severe outbursts among feminist organisations all over the world. The Connecticut murder triggered anger against televised violence pressurized life of the youngsters in most of the major cities. The normal man who is subjected to detailed account of such incidents get transformed into a reconstructed citizen when he gets a chance to express his view directly through the internet. The major difference between newspapers, TV and internet is this capability to act immediately by participating in polls and signing digital petitions. This is the reconstructed feature of citizenship Marcuse refers to. The citizens who involve themselves in such activities are well aware that they might be pulled out of their comfort zone and later face law and various trials and tribulations. But the media protests create a massive strength in the, giving them a hope that thousands of others are also participating with them in such an activity. This group strength has been the basis for success of any revolution right from the historical period. But sadly the mediated revolutions make the people understand that not as many people as they think or supporting them really innovative short period of time. Hence, most of them fail pathetically in a very short period. The life span of mediated protests is usually very short because there is no collective identity for them. Further internet unlike TV and newspapers give the chance for each person to register one’s own point of view. While the mainstream media aimed in waging a war against anti-terrorism during the 9/11 attack, the internet promoted various conspiracy theories including the documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 (Kahn, R & Kellener, 2005) . Various theories defending the Afghan people and blaming the Bush’s government went viral on the internet. It is possible for many people to get distracted by the various theories presented in the internet. Only intellectuals capable of garnering quality data from reliable sources are able to come to a proper conclusion. This is known as media politics. The mass media like TV and newspaper usually personalize the news supporting the western ideals like the capitalism and imperialism. But, internet does not have any such issues. You can easily search what you actually like to read instead of the true data. If you want to read an essay supporting the 9/11 attacks and attackers as martyrs you can do so. Else, you can gain access to mainstream essays which give you the usual essays condemning it. Another issue prevailing in the internet which affects it severely is the capability to present misguided data. It can be framed to show you your personal page when you type McDonald’s. Commercial establishments play the big dad using various technologies available to popularize their own page and increase its ranks. The importance of social media websites and networks come into place only in such places, as they give you a chance to bypass the internet search and work directly on the topic related to their internet. Likeminded people gather together and share various interests on the topic quite easily, create campaigns and register protests (Downing, 2007) But, most of the social media users are youngsters with affluent life styles. They are capable or stirring protests, but do not have the experience and the audacity to lead their followers towards a distinct vision. Several people behind the Lotus revolution in the Egypt to Julian Assange of Wikileaks can be stated as example for these visionless leaders . They do not have any clue how to handle the sudden followers they get. Had a person got so much support from public in previous centuries they would have transformed into great leaders like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. This is the major drawback of the mediated protest. Media is controlled by the government to a great extent and it can be easily used to print or show what they want. The mediated protesters believe what is shown in the internet or any other media blindly to an extent without analyzing. They get attracted to the next sensational issue forgetting the current issue easily. Also the media protesters who create great sensations do not have a clear solution for the problem. They aim in creating the protest without having the vision about an alternative or the exact change they require. The result of the opposition against the ballot machines failed deliberately. Similarly the Egyptian revolution hasn’t brought about the much required change in the country still. The reports from the country still confirm the poverty and the unemployment rate is the same still. Similarly the Wikileaks corruption campaign also failed in spite of tons of evidence because there was no clear request on what should be done then. The media protesters come to a standstill at a certain point. They want to expose the injustices done to the world. They do it amidst various hardships, hacking the most stringent security means, and opposing the iron curtains of ruthless government. Their efforts sure require great appreciation. What is the next step? None of them have a clear idea regarding what to demand or how to react. They are in a standstill until the next sensitive issue comes into their way. Had it happened in the previous century cases would have been filed against the concerned officials in the Wikileaks issue and demands for change of government would have materialized. Similarly the electronic voting machine issue would have transformed into a different one with demands for much advanced machines, instead of non-usage of electronic machines. The Egyptian revolution would have made the hero who started it their leader instead of some foreign country backed President. Media protests have both negative and positive effects. It is neither bad nor good. Media is like a two way sword. It can be used in a different way when it handed to different individuals. The role of internet and social media is a great, but it still has all the loopholes or in fact the greater loopholes than the general media protests. The issue of security also prevails in the internet. Most of the so called protected Wi-Fi networks and safe environments are not so safe. As Bill Gates himself admitted, no network if safe if the hackers just decide to crack opens it. Starting the days of Napster, the entertainment industry is in constant struggle with the internet and the related media for providing free stuff. Social media has had a profound effect on society, commoners now has a chance of having their voice heard, there is a sense of hope, as every issue has the ability to be widespread, empowering citizens of all nations with the power of being heard. A recent example is the rape crime currently committed in India, the news and protests have spread throughout the globe from India to the United States and people are signing petitions on Facebook condemning this act and asking for a death penalty for the abusers. In this case governments face increasing pressure because of the power of the crowd, and due to the Arab spring, the power of the crowd should not be underestimated. In recent proceedings like the Tunisian uprising, the Egyptian protests and, the most common, the student protests, social media has acted as tool to get people altogether and carry out the protests and uprising. It is important to note that social media in its entirety should not be blamed for the uprising as it is merely a tool to disseminate information quickly and on a broader level. There are many other elements to consider when carrying out a protest for revolutionary change such as funding, organization and proper leadership. The key to creating a proper protest movement is to motivate and convince people about a certain cause, and to inspire them to leave the comfort of their own homes and face the chaos and gravity of the streets, to be prepared to face the police and other irregularities of the open street. Social Media’s role in this revolutionary period is allowing the revolutionists to broadcast information at a cheaper cost, participants do not have to attend regular meetings, workshops or rallies. So in order to make a social media led the revolution into reality it is necessary for it to be translated into street action ( Carter, 2011). Social media is not only used for physical protests, but are being used for digital protests. One can join even a Face book group to express his support, opinion and comment if he cannot make it to the physical protest. In this regard Twitter is also used, when there is a live protest happening.  The use of said social media will definitely expand in future years and perhaps 2013 will be the year of the “social protests”. Social media alone does not work for revolutions alone; they are the tools that allow revolutionary groups to groom well. It lowers the overall cost of participation, recruitment, training and organization. And inherent weaknesses, strengths along with their effectiveness depends how influentially leaders use them, how it is easily accessible to the general category of people (Fowler, 2011). The Iranian “green revolution” in 2009 was upraised mostly by the western media through YouTube and twitter that follows later Moldova’s revolution 2009 that is “twitter revolution”. Revolution always required an organization, mass appeal and funding. Sometimes they appear vulnerable to the government’s counter protest strategies. To motivate individuals up to that required standard that is required, joining the chaos of the streets, mention their protest, and record their point of views instead of sitting in their houses. Social media presently has become an important tool for social networking and most importantly the content sharing among the community. The content is generated from the websites that are up to date and remains largely untapped (Gibbs, 2011). Social media demonstrate how social media content can be used to predict real-world outcomes in this age of fast communication. Particular, we can use the chatter from public sharing sites like Twitter to forecast the upcoming situations. The tweets extracted from Twitter may be further utilized to improve the forecasting power of social media (Noble, 2012). The information spread like fire in the forest and the community is driven by the social media.The participation of social media in political protests could be anticipated since the birth of social media. It plays a vital role in awareness and revolutionary impacts around this global village. But we can say a boost influence was made after the introduction of Facebook In 2003, Youtube In 2005 And Twitter In 2006 and such type of other social networking sites (Feenberg, 1995). An Article posted in (TheAge,2012) is an example of a social networking site used in a political protest in which it is written that “Facebook was used to rally the protesters who gathered in Sydney's CBD to demonstrate against an anti-Islam film but the rally was hijacked by "extremists", says Muslim community” . Ms. Abdel-Fattah mentions also mentions in the article, that the friend’s updates from the people during the protest; showed that what had started as a peaceful movement was converted into an extremist demonstration, due to the viewpoint of a few people. However one of the famous protest made in 2011 in Egypt covered quite a role of social media, (taken from an article by Anne Alexander on 9th February 2011 in BBC NEWS) The events of 28 January are particularly important, because they contain crucial clues to understanding the broader relationship between the media - both "new" and "old" - and the mass movement for change which has developed in Egypt over the past few weeks. The Social media is creating very difficult for the some authoritarian leaders maintain an authoritarian rule. Media is making it difficult even for tough autocracies such as Iran and Myanmar (Mackey, 2011) We can also witness social media as warfare in the Gaza Battle, as NBC News brings in our knowledge that Israeli and Hamas military forces tired to fight the conflicts in GAZA by using social media. “But the Israeli Defense Forces’ broadcasting of the details of its attacks against Gaza via Twitter, YouTube, and its blog (IDFblog.com) is organized to a greater degree and is blunt. Its addicting aspects have made it an ideal food for the activists. Last Wednesday, when IDF’s made his first tweet regarding an attack, protesters from all over the world came out on the streets to protest against all the violence, in order to share their support for the people of Gaza as well as in Israel ” posted by Cara Maresca (MSNBC, 2012) The work of Richard Rogers and his fellow-workers, done at the University of Amsterdam, has been mentioned in (Govcom, 2012). Researchers are exploring advanced methods, with the help of social network analysis technique, in order to evaluate the networks and time dynamics of it. with this, they have been successful in the creation of extraordinary sociograms, and mapped the patterns and networks of activists. Bennet (1998) The appearance of the society and method of communication of politics has been modified because of globalization. The features of global activist communication, and their probable impact on a political institution has been examined in this paper. (Global Activists Network, 2011) However, events for future internet or social media empowerment awareness are carried out by a variety of organizations around the globe. One of the active organizations in Glasgow is a good example for arranging such events. Making Waves - Social Media, Empowerment and Well-being is an example of an event organized in Glasgow ( Shane, 2011). Amsterdam privacy conference 2012 is another example of such event under the heading of “User Empowerment In A Social Media Culture” where ideas were presented and exchanged regarding people under the influence of internet empowerment and the presence common culture of social media around the globe ( Shenker, 2011). The computer revolution has a strong bonding between media and the internet; however social media and internet are blended in the same category. Furthermore increase in empowerments could be anticipated through the past, present and future web technology advancement (Wingfield, 2011). . References 1. Abigail Hauslohner (2011). Is Egypt About to Have a Facebook Revolution? Times Magazine , [Online] 24 January. Available at http:/ /www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2044142,00.html. [accessed January 2 2012]. 2. Asra Nomani (2007), The TIME 100, Time Magazine, [Online] , 3 May. 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