Media worlds: concepts, influences, and cultural impact

¶ … New Media and Politics

Digital media has been extremely instrumental in the organization and expression of political protest. This case study will examine the impact of digital media and social networking and the importance it plays in contemporary political movements.

Citizen Journalism

In the work entitled "New Media and Development Communication," stated is that modern mobile phones "…are transforming civilians into journalists." Columbia University, ITU Report, 2005, p.1) The report states that a critical role was played by mobile phones in the world receiving information about the pro-democracy protests in Myanmar" which involved 1,000 individuals being arrested and 30 to 40 monks and 50 to 70 civilians being killed. The report states specifically:

"Dissent turned into outrage as mobile phones transmitted grainy images of Myanmar's revered monks being beaten by junta security forces, 'Citizen Journalists' -- everyday citizens in Myanmar -- began surreptitiously recording video and taking photos of the public beatings and abuses, transmitting them to the international press via mobile phone." (Columbia University, ITU Report, 2005, p.1)

The military junta is reported to have cut off access to the internet not realizing that the citizen journalists could make use of their mobile phones to provide information to the international press. It was stated by Bertil Lintner, Myanmar expert and author of books on Myanmar that modern technology "…has become the general's worst enemy." (Columbia University, ITU Report, 2005, p.1)

II. The Arab Spring

According to Simon Cottle in the work entitled "Cell Phones, Camels and the Global Call for Democracy" media and communications "both old and new performed an inextricable function in the so called 'Arab Uprising' or 'Arab Spring'. They continue to do so in its unfolding political trajectory around the world." (p.1) Cottle reports that media and communications have entered into the politics of the uprisings both temporally and spatially, across local, national, and international political jurisdictions." (2011, p.1)

III. General's Worst Enemy and the Undoing of Dictators

The question of whether dictators can survive new media is posed in the work of Soner Cagaptay in a CNN special news report who states that before the "rise of protest technology' people were required to "endures under the tyranny of authoritarian regimes because there were few tools available to organize the masses without evading detection." (2012, p.1) However, today's average citizen has the necessary instruments to organize a movement quickly before autocratic regimes are able to put down the dissidents and the potential mass movement. Contemporary technologies enable the reporting of governmental crimes in real-time and this, according to Cagaptay (2012) is "akin to a social revolution: citizens of authoritarian regimes and their oppressors are now on more level footing for the first time ever." (2012, p.1) Clay Shiry reports in the work entitled "The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere and Political Change" that modern technology has enabled the public in their ability to "coordinate such a massive and rapid response" as occurred during the impeachment trial of Philippine President Joseph Estrada when the loyalists voted to set aside key evidence against Estrada. It is reported that in two short hours after this decision was announced text messages were sent and the crowd swelled from thousands to over a million in Manila. Shirky states as follows:

"As the communications landscape gets denser, more complex, and more participatory, the networked population is gaining greater access to information, more opportunities to engage in public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action." (2012, p.1)