Information Technologies Since Time Immemorial, the Adage

¶ … Information Technologies

Since time immemorial, the adage "no man is an island" has always been true because of the social nature of humankind. Most human beings can never live and function without the support of others in various aspects of life. With the emergence of contemporary information and communications technologies, the "no man is an island" maxim has further been redefined because of the ubiquity and 24/7 interconnection of people with each other. For instance, communications have become readily available with few touches of buttons and have also achieved global reach. In almost every facet of life, the technologies of today have contributed immensely. Of late, people's awareness of and actions in the political milieu have undergone a paradigm shift as a result of the widespread use on two of information technologies' most important innovations -- the social networking site or media and mobile communications.

If lessons would be taken heed of with what occurred in Egypt a few months back, political leaders from all over the world should shudder with fear at the power of social networking and mobile communications in curtailing political power or completely overthrowing a regime. These information technologies did not only serve the basic purposes they were developed for -- to communicate and pass information, but became force multipliers in imposing the will of the people on autocratic or despotic governments. Previously, news and information come with delays because of the nature of newspapers, radio and television broadcasts. Thus, once the news and information arrived, there would be delayed actions, reactions and decisions. With the real-time and constant availability of information technologies, news and information now come on demand and as they happen. Actions, reactions and decision therein can be spontaneous leaving no room for those that may be affected by such activities to plan counter actions.

Indeed, the "latest generation of social networking services enable getting the word out, raising money, and drawing people to various causes and just as personal computers changed the face of business forever, social networking is changing the face of public service (Quain, 2010)." This makes for a truly effective and efficient political tool in imposing the will of the people on the government. For my part, I am proud to be experiencing this political and social revolution because with my mobile phone that I carry with me all the time and my computer at home, I have the ways and means to have my say in the government. I know that when I voice out something, my words will not be lost in the darkness of cyberspace but they will eventually be heard and not taken for granted. Whenever something is going on with the government, I do not have to wait for the evening news or tomorrow's paper to hear about it because I get news feeds on both my mobile phone and computer. Consequently, I can be part of the social action groups that can change the political landscape in a matter of minutes.