It is undeniable that social media and the Internet have changed modern day society. Providing a platform where individuals are able to spread any type of information they wish. This may be a new political language as evident in Egypt, or simply a method for spreading the truth far and wide. Very quickly members of high places in society took to the wonders of social media and the seemingly boundary less realm of the Internet. Political parties and Government run organisations exploited social media for their recent elections, Tony Abott updating twitter as frequently as Ashton Kutcher and President Obama using the internet as a driving force to win the election.
As it is clear when reading Hirschkind’s article on “The role of social media in the Egyptian uprising”, blogs and other forms of internet driven medias were able to teardown the whole political barrier that existed in Egypt. Not only did social media bring thousands of people together to form a power that not even the entire political force in Egypt could withstand, it sent a message to the world. This message was heard loud and clear, no longer is the world kept in the dark, no longer is there an immense suppression of news and truths. As Paul Mason (2011) said “everything you need to know to make sense of the world is available as freely downloadable content on the internet: and it’s not pre-digested for you”.
This evolution in society has created a population that is steadily becoming more and more dependent on social media and opinions made by individuals not organisations. Additionally, it has forever changed democracy. Now, citizens are able to engage like never before, with a dialogue emerging between politician and voter via social media. It is worthwhile watching this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrczoLm7Es&feature=related which outlines why new media provides such beneficial tools for politicians, world leaders and the government as a whole.
On account of this massive explosion occurring in this new media, massive institutions such as the Government, Education systems and large organisations of any form are having to adapt, and fast. School’s now not only provide subjects for computing but supply iPad’s and computers in most classrooms and encourage all students to bring laptops to school. As discussed above, influential political figures such as Tony Abbott and Barak Obama, heavily relied on social media to promote themselves and win their respective election. This video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFB5FtMfwNo&feature=related explores Obama’s use of digital and social media in his winning campaign, naming it one of the most effective marketing campaign’s in history on account of Obama’s integration of the internet.
It is unquestionable that with the immense power the internet, new media hold, large institutions need to jump on the bandwagon and create their own footprint. We as an audience and participator, can already see through examples such as the Egyptian Uprising, that new media is a force to be reckoned with.
Hirschkind, C 2011, ‘From the Blogosphere to the Street: The Role of Social Media in the Egyptian Uprising’, Accessed 28/4/12, Available: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/599/from-the-blogosphere-to-the-street_the-role-of-social-media-in-the-egyptian-uprising
Mason, P 2011, ‘Twenty Reasons why its kicking off everywhere’, Accessed 28/4/12, Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/paulmason/2011/02/twenty_reasons_why_its_kicking.html
