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democracynow·Apr 5, 2013
www.democracynow.org – Longtime media-reform advocate Robert McChesney looks at how the future of American politics could be largely determined by who controls the Internet in his newest book. “‘Digital Disconnect’ talks about the difference between the mythology of the Internet — the hope would it empower people and make democracy triumphant — versus the reality of large corporate monopolies and the government working together are taking away the promise of the Internet to suit their interests,” says McChesney, the co-founder of Free Press and the National Conference for Media Reform.
His book begins with a simple claim: “The ways capitalism works and does not work determine the role the Internet might play in society.”
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see
Noam Chomsky: Can Civilisation Survive Really Existing Capitalism?
Role of State Terror in Death of Anti-SOPA Activist Aaron Swartz by Imani Henry
Aaron Swartz: Is it time for an Internet Bill of Rights? + The Best Way to Honor Aaron Swartz
Juice Rap News: Episode 15 – Big Brother is WWWatching You
Robert McChesney and John Nichols: The Death and Life of American Journalism
Robert McChesney and John Nichols: The Death and Life of American Journalism Pt.2
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Brilliant positive summary of critical topical issues, thank you Lo.
I envisage online courts of law and internet tribunals as being the most effective measures to establish the common interest, and curb the excesses of totalitarian corporate dictatorship.
We should recall Harold Innis (1950) “Empire and Communications” and Lewis Mumford (1934) “Technics and Civilization.”
Technologies and empires are entirely co-dependent.
Al Jazeera broadcast a great episode last week about McLuhan’s ambivalent media legacy, including a similarly thought-provoking interview to Prof. Bob’s ~ with Evgeny Morozov; whose analysis is also “seen as a powerful alternative to the mainstream discourse on the digital age.”
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2013/04/20134683632515956.html
Thanks, David, but I already collected it on my Lockerz page.
http://lockerz.com/u/dandelionsalad/decalz/25029324/listening_post_of_mediums_and_messages?ref=dandelionsalad
I was going to post it here but didn’t like Al Jazeera’s anti-Assad position, so couldn’t. Some of the report is pretty good, though. Like all media, we have to sift through it.
BIG BOLD BRUSH STROKES about what is NEXT
Who could deny Robert words? His warnings are consistent with the global warming experts.
Now what might be next if nothing at all is done by the mass of humanity that at this time sits idly by hoping for some kind of good change to come along. Families in small communities will be pushed down ever further, foodstuff will disappear from shelves, energy needs will consistently go up in price, travel will become a thing of the past, and health care will be shoved even further down.
THEN WHAT— I suspect that an awakening of that disparaged class of our co-aligned citizens will respond. How they respond will depend on their local leaders who have become the champions for change in their small region.
FROM that point on WHO KNOWS?
The bottom line is that we need to introduce free ISPs and/or nationalise the existing ones. Re-establishing the freedom of media would be the very minimal requirement for any democracy.
Excellent video – thank you for sharing. I am more convinced than ever that we are marching right into a Hunger Games. The time has come to launch an internet-wide fight against this new dictatorship. Trust me – if you think you will be a winner in such system, you simply don’t understand its nature. A dictatorship kills everyone, even its very own supporters. I know how dictatorships are – I know from experience – I used to live in one. That’s why I am NOT afraid of talking against it – there is NOTHING worse than living in such world. Believe me …
We should urgently stop this. We should mobilise the remaining moral-intellectual sphere, introduce new state within the national states, stop casting votes on any side and introduce new money systems. We are living in the last 24 hours …
Are you willing to tell us more about your own experience healing wanderer?