I heard on the radio (yes, the radio) this morning that Internet readership was up 17 % last year. Use of almost all other media was down. A lot of blather is going around about how the net is responsible for democracy in the Middle East. I say, let's stand back and take a long breath.
First, it's unclear that any of the current agitations will result in a democratic state emerging. Virtually all of the nations involved lack a tradition of democracy. Egypt has been ruled by kings, queens, colonial powers and dictators for what? Two millennia maybe? All have overpopulation and/or illiteracy and/or poverty issues to contend with. And --- sorry, folks, but --- the Muslim religion ain't exactly a natural extension of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and in every one of these nations there's a radical Muslim faction waiting (like the Bolsheviks in Russia in 1917) to hijack the revolution.
Second, let's remember that Bush claimed the Iraqi invasion would foster democracy in the region. Hey, I figured this was all about oil. But what if the one dope in the White House was right and all of us were wrong? All I'm saying is, cause/effect is a tough call and we can't just dismiss this possibility out of hand.
Shifting gears a bit, there's Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame for everyone. We are nearing that, what with Blogs, social networks and websites, not to mention reality TV. But most of us get the crumbs. The gap between the filthy rich and the rest of us continues to widen here in the US. The fundamental foundations of democracy arguably are eroding. I don't see the Net replacing them. Glitz in place of substance?
We have idiots out marching in support of the little turd who committed treason by releasing thousands of classified and confidential documents to Wikileaks. He's no Daniel Ellsberg, folks. He was just a silly kid seeking his 15 minutes, so far as I can see. This is not helping democracy either.
All too often the Net has replaced reasoned discourse with hate rhetoric. See, e.g., "Don't retreat... reload." Careful, thorough research and reasoned analysis have been replaced by cutting and pasting from Google.com, and by Tweets. Well, birds tweet. Birds have bird brains. Enough said.
Call me an old fart. Guilty, I guess. But, someday, remember: I told you so.
Some suggesting reading on these topics:
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