On one side of the equation, social media is changing the world by not allowing world leaders to cover up embarrassing political infractions. An example was the earthquake in China where pictures and commentaries were being texted as it occurred – minutes ahead of official confirmation by the US Geological Survey! And when it was discovered that schools collapsed because of bribes taken during their construction, China couldn’t control those revelations being made public to the world. So here we have an example of a government having to deal with transparency issues, which I think is a good thing – and all because of global social networks where the common man uses current technology to not only consume information but to create it.
Just as mind-boggling as being able to put a personal face on a world event was a scenario given last week by NPR where the government in question used current technology to their advantage. The story was about Iranians from abroad being required to give the password to their FaceBook account immediately on debarking from an airplane on Iranian soil. After perusal, the government then decided whether or not to allow them entry into the country!
This, of course, leads to the issue of “personal privacy” and whether or not there really is such a thing, or if it is a “luxury” of the past. Which reminds me of how hard-pressed I am to find a stop light in Bellevue without an attached camera warning me big brother is watching.
I agree with your points about the use (or should I say mis-use) and verasity of the web. A lesson of political history often seems to be those currently in power often define the history of the past. So perhaps the accessibility of the internet will allow the information to be more balanced.
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