It’s easy to get excited about the potential of the Internet and social media to have positive impacts on our lives. We see proof of this every day, from the self education movement to the Arab Spring.
Yet there are downsides to all this connectivity as well. Evil forces can also use these tools to harm their enemies.
Evgeny Morozov has emerged as one of the leading wet blankets in this area. He seems to get a big kick out of making fun of people who get overly optimistic about the potential surrounding social media and political movements in general. His skepticism offers a healthy contribution to the discussion, though he seems to focus much of his energy on the wide-eyed evangelists. Most people are optimistic yet don’t see social media as a panacea. Yet we can all recognize that the balance of power has now been altered within nations once controlled exclusively by dictators. Unless a regime goes to the extremes taken in North Korea, which then necessitate a stagnating economy, it is now much more difficult to manipulate public opinion through state television due to the Internet and social media.
Morozov may have some valid points, but this fundamental change is striking fear in leaders around the world.
Remember Conan O’Brien’s tour, and how he launched it with one Tweet? Think about how much commerce is initiated now through the recommendation of friends through social media. These are examples of 