Thoughts from CMU 302

In class we have discussed how blogs can be used as soapboxes for people to advocate on behalf of some cause or political idea. What I appreciated about this weeks readings is that it dabbled in how this medium manifests itself in other markets. I found it particularly interesting when it talked about the Russian backlash against a US company for trying to censor it political commentary. The idea that one company/nation can exercise that kind of control is quite remarkable, albeit dangerous. This clearly illustrates the age of interdependence we live in today. Last summer I traveled to Italy and participated in a class on the European Union which discussed this notion of eliminating borders between nations. My concern is that with this level of connectedness do we run the risk of losing character at the global level? Today it a US company the buys out livejournal, but what about tomorrow when a Chinese corporation buys the rights to i tunes and starts removing certain artists because of their lyrics. I think it is important that we stay mindful of the messages that we advocate and what kind of message or actions send as well.

Conversely, it is possible to get great insight from people who are removed from the inner turmoil that American is feeling. Really in no other time has an American citizen been able to find out what is being said about this country somewhere else in the world so quickly and easily. That kind of knowledge I believe can also be very influential because in today’s world credibility really speaks louder than the might of the military branch. Also as noted in the book the level to which an individual can impact treaty talks is astonishing. Rather than rely on the slow and secretive workings of the institution getting almost real time and accurate updates about what goes on behind closed doors is in fact helping put the world back in the hands of its citizens as oppose to a select few. It is certainly important to advocate for ones beliefs and motivate people to act but I think it is equally important to keep a watchful eye on how this translates over onto the global scene.

Question:

1) How do you think the internet and the idea of interconnectedness affects the marketplace of ideas on the global scale?

2) How might the US react if a social medium owned and operated by a foreign entity were to start censoring content?