Power of Communication Technology
Josh Morris
Social Movements Analytical Response
9/29/11
Power of Communication Technology
After reading the paper written by Mark Carty, on “Communication Technology in Social Movements” it all seemed to make sense. Power really is a violent relationship with almost everything, if not everything. The paper exemplified how the power of communication technology is violent and extremely dominant over higher authority. Cell phones took over the Internet and landlines in terms of communication, and that’s when the text message/SMS began to grasp power. Technological advances were and still are moving at a rapid rate and becoming very dominant around the world. I will elaborate in my paper on how communication technology’s power dominance created violence. Communication technology can make a groups power unparallel to its opponent or what that group is going against. With that power comes forms of violence, like for example what had happened in 2009 in Moldova. That all started through Twitter and the communication technology created a powerful group of 10,000 angry protesters who weren’t going to be held back. No higher authority can stop 10,000 angry civilians, they together have to much power and with that power comes violence between the two parties. Both sides wanted their own things and because one was more powerful than the other, government buildings in Moldova were set on fire. If it wasn’t for Twitter and Facebook their power wouldn’t have been close to what it was. The social networks played a great role in their power, which eventually turned into violence, which is power. One could argue that we should not have text mobs and social networks. They give groups of people an amount of power that is unstoppable even when authorities know it’s coming and they’re prepared for it. The social networks give the people a strong foundation to communicate a message across to each other and make a plan. That plan becomes a big group of people
Social Movements Analytical Response
9/29/11
Power of Communication Technology
After reading the paper written by Mark Carty, on “Communication Technology in Social Movements” it all seemed to make sense. Power really is a violent relationship with almost everything, if not everything. The paper exemplified how the power of communication technology is violent and extremely dominant over higher authority. Cell phones took over the Internet and landlines in terms of communication, and that’s when the text message/SMS began to grasp power. Technological advances were and still are moving at a rapid rate and becoming very dominant around the world. I will elaborate in my paper on how communication technology’s power dominance created violence. Communication technology can make a groups power unparallel to its opponent or what that group is going against. With that power comes forms of violence, like for example what had happened in 2009 in Moldova. That all started through Twitter and the communication technology created a powerful group of 10,000 angry protesters who weren’t going to be held back. No higher authority can stop 10,000 angry civilians, they together have to much power and with that power comes violence between the two parties. Both sides wanted their own things and because one was more powerful than the other, government buildings in Moldova were set on fire. If it wasn’t for Twitter and Facebook their power wouldn’t have been close to what it was. The social networks played a great role in their power, which eventually turned into violence, which is power. One could argue that we should not have text mobs and social networks. They give groups of people an amount of power that is unstoppable even when authorities know it’s coming and they’re prepared for it. The social networks give the people a strong foundation to communicate a message across to each other and make a plan. That plan becomes a big group of people