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Matthew LoBello

November 17, 2013

Communication 30

Professor Littau

Technology: Breaking Barriers and Building Democracy

Barriers restrict our actions, voices, and freedoms. For so long, barriers of entry such as

money and prestige created significant obstacles into the journalism and publishing industries.

Due to the social and political impartiality that exists in many large, impactful media outlets,

expression of individual voice was difficult, and the ability to induce change was even more

challenging. Oftentimes, this neutrality within news corporations created a framework that

diluted messages, in turn reducing the impact and influence that was possible. However, that is

all changing as a result of technological media sources, which allow citizens to easily connect

and come together to broadcast their news and beliefs all around the world. As Clay Shirky

illustrates in his book Here Comes Everybody, revolutionary change, which was once limited to

large institutions and governments, is now possible for all of us. Through means such as the

Internet and social media, collective action and revolution is easier and more influential than

ever.

Shirky illustrates the emergence of collective action that has resulted from the rise of

technological media sources. This has enabled ordinary citizens to share their stories and voices

to the rest of the world, something that was previously unattainable. This is evidenced by

Shirky’s excerpt that comprehensively summarizes his thesis and leads to countless examples

such as Ivanna’s lost cell phone, the incompetence of American Airlines flight 1348, and the rise

of “Voice of the Faithful.” “When we change the way we communicate, we change society” (pg.

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17). All these movements, and more, that Shirky illustrates would be impossible without the

emergence of our current media sources. These technological developments that allow

individuals to speak freely have led to large-scale collective action projects like nothing we have

ever seen before. This was evidenced by the actions of Kate Hanni, a passenger aboard the

American Airlines flight 1348. In the days following the delay, she, along with other proactive

passengers, connected via comment pages of an Austin newspaper article. Her efforts spread

their cause to a national level and drew attention to the intolerable conditions that were evident

during delays. The social tools that were available to Hanni allowed her to make a difference;

they have provided a platform for individuals to speak up against powerful corporations that

were previously untouchable. These social tools have provided citizens with a voice to say: No

longer is it acceptable for corporations to take advantage of their customers and subsequently

cover it up. As a result, this shared platform that Shirky mentions ensures accountability and

transparency among individuals, firms, and governments alike.

Yet, this evolution of our communication has never been more essential than in our

global fight for democracy. All over the world, individuals as well as social groups are turning

towards technological sources to voice their desire for freedom and democracy against

authoritative regimes.

The same social tools that are being applied to uncover inefficiency within American

corporations are now being used to declare freedom and discourage the rule of authoritative

administrations. The documentary Burma VJ directed by Anders Ostergaard shadows video

journalists for The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) in their fight for freedom during the

Saffron Revolution. The group’s goal is to record the corruption within the Burmese state and

publish the footage all around the world. For decades, an authoritative and corrupt government

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has led Burma. The military, which has overseen the state for the better part of the 21st century,

has restricted communication within, as well as outside of Burma, in an attempt to maintain the

steady stream of propaganda that the citizens receive on a daily basis. Due to the strict rules of

the government, these journalists must conceal their video cameras in bags or under their shirts.

If they were to get caught, they will be beaten, arrested, and sentenced to life in prison, or worse

—death. These reporters film footage and send it out of the country to Oslo, Norway, where

images can be distributed around the world and, for the first time ever, back into Burma. The

citizens had previously generated an uprising in 1988 (known as the 8888 Uprising because it

began on August 8, 1988), which gained great momentum until the military-controlled

government opened fire on its citizens, resulting in 3,000 casualties.

“As always, social tools don’t create new motivations so much as amplify existing ones”

(pg. 294). The inspiration for democracy and freedom has always been evident for the Burmese

people, but they have struggled to find a medium to express their beliefs. Unlike the 1988

revolution, there are social tools available to the DVB to spread their principles such as the

Internet, satellite television, and short-wave radio, which are bringing hundreds of thousands of

citizens together for one cause. As Shirky describes, “New technology makes new things

possible: put another way, when new technology appears, previously impossible things start

occurring” (pg. 107). This “new technology” that is evidenced by the DVB is their means of

distribution, which were previously unachievable. Recorded information has been exchanged

from Burma to the outside world, but for the first time ever, through the DVB, that information

can now be sent back into Burma to counteract the influences of the propaganda. This is vital in

the fight for democracy because educated individuals, ones who know their predicament, can

begin to plan for revolution. This information makes citizens question their authority, and

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doesn’t allow them to be held captive to the propaganda. Due to the improved social connection,

“the previously impossible things,” are now possible. Following the brutal beatings and arrests of

the Burmese monks, the government imposed strict sanctions on its citizens in an attempt to

defuse the revolution. However, that only made the revolution stronger; through the DVB social

networks, a rally was scheduled the next day, and against government regulation, people began

to assemble and unite for their democracy, something that was unimaginable twenty years

earlier.

Social tools that have emerged throughout the century have provided citizens all over the

world with a voice. The barriers that once restricted ordinary voices have been destroyed,

replaced by ones that promote opinion and freedom. Without the DVB’s voice in Burma, their

cause would be silenced; they would go unnoticed, and consequently forgotten. These social

tools that have enhanced our society have created a march towards independence for Burma and

a hope for freedom.

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Works Cited

Burma VJ. Dir. Anders Ostergaard. HBO Documentary Films, 2008. DVD.

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