Comments - The Democratization of Democracy? - TechHui2024-03-29T06:24:40Zhttp://www.techhui.com/profiles/comment/feed?attachedTo=1702911%3ABlogPost%3A76273&xn_auth=noCloset optimist! Haha I love…tag:www.techhui.com,2011-03-12:1702911:Comment:768102011-03-12T20:28:00.297ZBrianhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/Brian268
<p>Closet optimist! Haha I love it.</p>
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<p>I agree Ian, I do believe most people feel that way, but dissent can only forge change and action when sustained and shared. It simply doesn't happen. I doubt most people in North Korea are very happy about the status quo, but as long as the power is concentrated in those that are, change will not happen.</p>
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<p>Most people will not rise up or stand fast unless they believe it is likely to result in change (even if comes with a beat…</p>
<p>Closet optimist! Haha I love it.</p>
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<p>I agree Ian, I do believe most people feel that way, but dissent can only forge change and action when sustained and shared. It simply doesn't happen. I doubt most people in North Korea are very happy about the status quo, but as long as the power is concentrated in those that are, change will not happen.</p>
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<p>Most people will not rise up or stand fast unless they believe it is likely to result in change (even if comes with a beat down - rather than <em>just</em> a beat down).</p> @Ian Brian is a closet optimi…tag:www.techhui.com,2011-03-12:1702911:Comment:768812011-03-12T18:47:11.960ZDaniel Leuckhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/dleuck
@Ian Brian is a closet optimist :-) Smart phones + Twitter & Facebook are definitely making things harder for despotic rulers. Almost all the information we have about the daily lives of North Koreans is coming from thin communication zones along the country's borders where South Korean and Chinese cell tower coverage allow people to use smuggled mobile phones to tell the world of their suffering and learn about life outside of Kim's bubble universe. There are daily internet news services…
@Ian Brian is a closet optimist :-) Smart phones + Twitter & Facebook are definitely making things harder for despotic rulers. Almost all the information we have about the daily lives of North Koreans is coming from thin communication zones along the country's borders where South Korean and Chinese cell tower coverage allow people to use smuggled mobile phones to tell the world of their suffering and learn about life outside of Kim's bubble universe. There are daily internet news services that report on North Korea based on conversations with people inside the country who, risking a death penalty for unauthorized use of a mobile communication device, call, text and tweet from the mountains to avoid interference from Kim's roaming signal intercept vehicles. Nicely said...but if you're t…tag:www.techhui.com,2011-03-12:1702911:Comment:768792011-03-12T14:00:54.034ZIan Gilyeathttp://www.techhui.com/profile/IanGilyeat
<p>Nicely said...but if you're the cynic... I'm the optimist. If I wear out my shoes, I'm just back on my feet. I believe humanity feels this same optimism - across the masses. Deep down, in our core, we know who we are and want to be free to think, to do and to be with each other. Communication developments like smart phones are a great addition to connecting people to each other and breaking down the walls erected by captive media channels. Crowd sourcing, chaos theory and individual…</p>
<p>Nicely said...but if you're the cynic... I'm the optimist. If I wear out my shoes, I'm just back on my feet. I believe humanity feels this same optimism - across the masses. Deep down, in our core, we know who we are and want to be free to think, to do and to be with each other. Communication developments like smart phones are a great addition to connecting people to each other and breaking down the walls erected by captive media channels. Crowd sourcing, chaos theory and individual will power offer rich perspectives as we watch people in protest or revolt. The will power of people, whether in aggregate or individually is not going away...and change will always happen because of it.</p> Very true Dan. I didn't want…tag:www.techhui.com,2011-02-22:1702911:Comment:762802011-02-22T03:01:04.447ZBrianhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/Brian268
<p>Very true Dan. I didn't want to get too technical as it was getting too long as-is. I'm sure you could write a whole other essay on the impact that mobile phones are having on democracy, environmentalism, etc.</p>
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<p>Even looking at ourselves, back in the days of WW2 we likely would not have heard about things like Abu Ghraib if digital cameras and easy portability of information did not exist.</p>
<p>Very true Dan. I didn't want to get too technical as it was getting too long as-is. I'm sure you could write a whole other essay on the impact that mobile phones are having on democracy, environmentalism, etc.</p>
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<p>Even looking at ourselves, back in the days of WW2 we likely would not have heard about things like Abu Ghraib if digital cameras and easy portability of information did not exist.</p> Great post. The use of social…tag:www.techhui.com,2011-02-21:1702911:Comment:761912011-02-21T18:27:44.264ZDaniel Leuckhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/dleuck
<p>Great post. The use of social media via phones seems to be acting as an amazing catalyst for revolution in those countries. The fact that we can get news from the source is significant, but the fact that citizens of those countries can see what their countrymen are doing and be inspired to join is even more significant. As you said, there is no guarantee that all those revolutions will succeed or result in better governments, but the more transparency that exists the harder it is for…</p>
<p>Great post. The use of social media via phones seems to be acting as an amazing catalyst for revolution in those countries. The fact that we can get news from the source is significant, but the fact that citizens of those countries can see what their countrymen are doing and be inspired to join is even more significant. As you said, there is no guarantee that all those revolutions will succeed or result in better governments, but the more transparency that exists the harder it is for despotic regimes to exist unchallenged. I hope these technologies will eventually lead to the overthrow of the junta in Myanmar and the Kim regime that has oppressed millions of Koreans for the past 60 years.</p>
<p>For years I've been using Twitter to keep up to date on the political happenings in Madagascar, a country of 20M people that is largely ignored by the mainstream US media. Many of the people I follow have had their computers confiscated, but its hard to get all the phones!</p>