In several of my previous blogs I have expressed my views on how the internet and other new media technologies seem to be changing the way in which politicians and society communicate. Another related issue that I believe is relevant in the current political landscape is how new media technologies are enabling ordinary people to participate more actively in the democratic process. Being twenty years old, I have not had the chance to vote in many elections, and have found that my interest in politics has only stemmed from my new democratic participation. However, my study of virtual cultures has led me to discover that people like me can participate in much broader forms of political and democratic participation than simply voting in elections. The amount of political activist sites and blogs online seems to be ever increasing, and many people seem to be utilising the interactive and collaborative capabilities of Web 2.0 to make sure that they are heard, as “for the first time, punters and politicians can talk, blog, and vlog directly with each other” (Coutts, 2007).
According to Flew (2005), “the internet and other new media technologies have been strongly connected with new forms of political activism” (p. 182), and I have found that activists are using sites such as Crikey.com to voice their opinions, and capabilities such as video sharing sites and mash-ups to hold politicians accountable for their actions. As a result, I believe that politicians have to take notice and embrace this new shift in democratic participation, as up until now democracy has been spectatorial (Jenkins, 2007), however "we now have ... the opportunity for it to be a fully participatory practice that is a lifestyle that we live with everyday" (Jenkins, 2007).
An example of how ordinary citizens from around the world are “harnessing the power of the internet for global campaigns” (VOAvideo, 2008) is the website Avaaz.org. Avaaz.org facilitates “people-powered politics” (Avaaz.org, 2008), as members are polled online, asked what issues they would like to address and what action should be taken (VOAvideo, 2008). This excerpt is taken from the Avaaz website:
In just hours we can send hundreds of thousands of messages to political leaders telling them to save a crucial summit on climate change, hold hundreds of rallies across the world calling for action to prevent a genocide, or donate hundreds of thousands of euros, dollars and yen to support nonviolent protest in Burma.
(Avaaz.org, 2008)
This short YouTube video by Voice of America explains the kind of political actions that Avaaz.org is taking, how and why:
Online, there seems to be so many diverse political ‘places’ that people of all political perspectives can find a virtual community to actively participate in. Blogs are another example of ordinary citizens having a voice on political issues. People who have “left of centre perspective” (Larvatus Prodeo, 2008) can participate in the blog Larvatus Prodeo, and for those with a more conservative perspective there is Callaxy. For people concerned about the environment there is Greensblog, the official blog of the Australian Green’s Senators, with its purpose being to “engage as many people as possible in constructive discussions about Greens issues, policies and politics” (Greensblog, 2008). All of the blogs that I have encountered are open to comments and feedback, which allows a range of diverse perspectives to be expressed, which “in turn allows political debate to move beyond left-right political point-scoring to a more complex, nuanced, interactive process” (Saunders, Wilson & Bruns, 2007).
Wikipedia describes political blogs as “a common type of blog that comments on politics” (Wikipedia, 2008). In a way then I suppose my blog could be considered a political blog, as I comment on the ways in which new media technologies are changing democracy and politics. Although I believe it to be likely that other KCB201 Virtual Cultures students will view this blog, I think it is quite unlikely that anyone ouside out of that virtual community will encounter this blog and read my perspectives. This leads to an issue that I have mentioned in a previous blog that people within specific online cultures may get stuck in ‘echo chambers’ (Leadbeater, 2007), only reading blogs that reinforce their perceptions and ideas. This does seem to be an issue that has arisen in many online spaces, however as Saunders, Wilson and Bruns (2007) explain “overall, the participatory and interconnected network of the blogosphere … provides an invaluable space for hosting inclusive policy discussions”.
Online and offline, I believe that politics is an issue that will always be central to discussion in many cultures and communities around the world. “Technology and the internet have allowed citizens to connect and mobilize like never before” (Avaaz.org, 2008), and consequently people can participate more actively in the political process. Being twenty years old I am excited at the prospect of voting in many elections in the future. However, there are many people who do not live in democratic countries and therefore will never get the opportunity to vote at all. Avaaz.org has members in every country of the world (VOAvideo, 2008), and I believe that this shows that the internet allows many people to participate in democracy and politics, and have their say on political issues worldwide.
References
Avaaz.org. (2008). Avaaz.org – the World in Action. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from http://www.avaaz.org/en/about.php.
Coutts, S. (2007). Politics and the internet. [Radio transcript]. Retrieved March 22, 2008, from http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2007/1924783.html.
GreensBlog. (2008). GreensBlog – The Official Blog of the Australian Greens Senators. Retrieved May 6, 2008, from http://greensblog.org/.
Jenkins, H. (2007). Henry Jenkins@Beyond Broadcast 2007. [Interview with Jenny Attiyeh of ThoughtCast]. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from http://thoughtcast.org/casts/beyond-broadcast-2007.
Leadbeater, C. (2007). Social software for social change. Retrieved April 6, 2006, from http://www.charlesleadbeater.net/cms/xstandard/social_software.pdf.
Saunders, B., Wilson, J. & Bruns, A. (2007). Club Bloggery pt 1: Consulting bloggers as citizens. ABC News: Opinion. Retrieved May 6, 2008, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/05/2051859.htm.
VOAvideo. (2008). Global Activism on the Web. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPnpGDTfoeg.
Wikipedia. (2008). Political blog. Retrieved May 6, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_blog.
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