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On blogs & social revolution

02.29.2004

At Stephen's party last night, I got in a socio-political conversation w/ an architect (who's name I can't now remember). It was quite constructive. We discussed all the typical issues: globalization, corporate media, liberalism, the rise of irrationalism & fascist tactics in the left & right, and even Chomsky.

When we got to the topic of blogs as a means to spread individual rights & break corporate monopolies on information, he was interested, but skeptical. He made good points. After all, blogs might be very important in the US, where more people now have home internet access vs. cable television. But what about it's impact in the Third World? And aren't there more important things to worry about anyhow?

Good points. But I'm not entirely convinced. Are there issues more immediately pressing than IT? Of course: hunger, poverty, unemployment, disease, etc. But I'm a product of the computer generation; I believe in multi-tasking. I see no reason we can't address multiple problems at once.

But. Looking at developments in Iran (clearly a Third World country), I'm encouraged about the future power of what Jeff Jarvis calls "citizens' media" to change the world. The reactionary mullahs in Iran have driven the pro-democracy, pro-reform movement underground into the only medium left: the internet. After all, despite the inequalities of internet access, they're much smaller than the inequalities in ownership of, say, radio & TV stations or paper presses. Less than 50% of the population has access to internet? What percentage has access to a printing press? A radio or TV broadcast station?

While the blog revolution — especially its technological advancements — are driven by American users, I think the real break against corporate media will come from those areas w/ more limited internet presence. We've already seen Iraqi bloggers scoop the major corporate media, demonstrating that millions of dollars in infrastructure can be beaten by a dentist w/ a free Blogger account.

I think a good way to look at the developing media revolution using Lenin's "weak link" theory. Just as Lenin turned Marx on his head to argue that socialist revolutions would happen not in the most advanced industrial states (as Marx predicted), but in the most backward. I think the overthrow of corporate media will come not from the most technologically advanced regimes (where, after all, corporate media can adapt the tools of "citizens' media"), but in those states where corporate media has the most limited impact. In short, where bloggers can most easily beat them at their own game.

Posted by Miguel at 05:41 PM

Comments

Posted by: Steph at March 1, 2004 01:33 PM