It is true that the interaction and unity of people during those days was heavily dependent on the usage of mobile technology and Internet (Yu, 2004).
However, many people were also arrested by the police for disseminating facts in a negative or humorous way through Internet or SMS services. Thus, they were imprisoned for the reason that their jokes and rumors arose confusion and a sense of hopelessness as they negatively used the mentioned mediums to fill the gap of correct official information ("ARCHIVED: Commentary No. 89: China and the Internet," 2012). It is exceedingly significant to say that the government in China needs to realize and understand the regulatory policies concerning Internet and should try to comply with the human rights issues in a sensible and conscientious manner. This comprehension and insight carries great weight as it was due to the disconnection with the rest of the countries that the highly-important information regarding 2003 SARS outbreak was suppressed resulting in damaging and harmful consequences for the nation.
As a common practice, China continuously monitors and censors the Internet and traditional media due to security reasons. However, this excessive monitoring and censoring proved to be a very wrong step during the time when China was attacked by the SARS-causing virus. It is unfortunate that Chinese government covered up the reality and was adamant that it did not do anything to wrong and the SARS epidemic in 2003 aggravated by its own. On the other world, this situation was witnessed by the rest of the world who unanimously agreed that the unnecessary monitoring and censoring of Internet by the Chinese government catalyzed the spread of the harmful disease and this particular practice turned out to be the main reason why even Canadian population was affected by the SARS that traveled on the bodies of people that made tours to the Canadian land via airplanes. This is the reason why the world is still in search of the answer that how Chinese government will deal with any similar scenario in the future ("ARCHIVED: Commentary No. 89: China and the Internet," 2012).
It is a fact that the Chinese people were successful in using mobile phones and Internet in the most efficient...
Unfortunately, the mentioned mediums were also used to mislead people about the SARS status and outcomes (Zhu, Wu, Miao, & Li, 2008). To cut a long story short, the whole case study proves that how drastically the modern communication technology can affect any society. The citizens and governments must know how and when to use them.
References
Archived: Commentary No. 89: China and the Internet. (2012, January 7).CSIS. Retrieved May 12, 2013, from http://www.csis-scrs.gc.ca/pblctns/cmmntr/cm89-eng.asp
Esarey, a. And Xiao, Q. (2008). Political expression in the Chinese blogosphere: Below the radar, Asian
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Grossberg, L., Wartella, E., Whitney, D.C. & Wise, J.M. (2006). Two models of communication.
MediaMaking (pp. 17-28). Sage.
SARS from the Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. (2012). Questia, Your Online Research Library. Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1E1-SARS/sars
So, a.Y. (2008). SARS in China: Prelude to Pandemic?. The China Journal, 59, 175+. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1450869271/sars-in-china-prelude-to-pandemic
Thompson, J.B. (1995). Mass communication and modern culture: contribution to a critical theory of ideology. In O. Boyd-Barrett & C. Newbold (Eds.), Approaches to media: A reader (pp. 54-65).London & NY: E. Arnold.
Yu, H. (2004). The POWER of THUMBS: THE POLITICS of SMS in URBAN CHINA . Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies,2(2), 30-43. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://intlstudies.arts.unsw.edu.au/media/File/The_Power_of_Thumbs.pdf
Zheng, Y. & Wu, G. (2005). Information technology, public space, and collective action in China,
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Zhu, X., Wu, S., Miao, D., & Li, Y. (2008). Changes in Emotion of the Chinese Public in Regard to the SsARS Period. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 36(4), 447+. Retrieved May 12, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-188213856/changes-in-emotion-of-the-chinese-public-in-regard
