The advent of the Internet, and the sending of the first "email," back in the 1980s, was the first step in transforming modern human communication. Those first messages, which represented a more efficient way of communication, were the beginning of a transformation. Now, just 30+ years later, more than 100 trillion emails are sent each year. Unsurprisingly, whether we look back to the carrier pigeons of the Persian armies, Augustus Caesar's "postal system" in Ancient Rome, or even the Pony Express of 19th-century America, human civilization is always looking for an easier and faster way to share ideas, emotions, news, and life experiences. Communication allows us to break the boundaries of distance and geography, ultimately making our world smaller.
So, while this relatively newfound and ever-evolving capability is clearly an incredibly positive advancement, it also has a far-reaching (and often uncontrollable) influence across our lives. One area that clearly has seen its impact, especially recently, is governance. It has enabled the toppling of decades-old dictators during the Arab Spring and the empowerment of 90 million bloggers across China (just to name a couple). But, while the impact of instant and broadly-accessible communication might be seemingly obvious in the environment of an authoritarian state, what does it mean for a democracy? And, ultimately, how does it influence our public policy here in the U.S.?
From a news perspective, this new era of communication has totally transformed the way information is gathered and reported. Long gone are the days of the 6 o'clock news hour and the reading of the morning paper, in favor of Twitter and the 24-hour cable news cycle. The proliferation of sources from which news is now created has been a total paradigm shift. Now, the voice of a blogger and a Twitter handle is equivalent (and even in some cases bigger) to that of a major news organization. And, the competition to be the first reporting "breaking news" has never been fiercer. Most strikingly though, and often not mentioned, is the impact this has on our public policy.
For instance, it was first reported in mid-March 2011 that Muammar Gaddafi was undergoing a challenge to his authority by militant rebels. Just days later, numerous media outlets and other political leaders began to challenge the Obama administration to make a "go/no-go" decision on assisting the ousting of an on-again, off-again, ally in the region. Headlines explicitly called Obama an 'indecisive military leader' and accused him of "pushing [Secretary of State] Clinton over the edge."
It's a strange environment when the media and public expect perfect decision-making, yet become too impatient to let their political leaders gather information, explore diplomatic channels and dialogue, and devise appropriate response scenarios. Major events and decisions require strategic planning that speaks to America's collective interests, not short-term political gain or increased TV ratings. As a point of reference, ending the Cold War and eventually the mutual draw down of long-rage anti-ballistic missiles in 1987 was not something that happened overnight or without patience. Through multiple efforts and channels, including the famous 1986 meetings between Reagan and Gorbachev, the U.S. was able to achieve a long term and strategically significant resolution. Today, I'm not so sure the media environment would permit such a long developing outcome. Is this need to fill a content void and the competition to be the "first" to advance a certain viewpoint in the media putting undue political pressure on our leaders?
An example from just the last couple of weeks is the rushed response to the situation of Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese activist who escaped from house arrest. It was only a matter of days between his escape and "release" back to a Chinese hospital -- but why so fast? Certainly the imminence of the SED (Strategic and Economic Dialogue) played a role, but to what degree did media pressure force the Administration's hand? Would our interests have been better served if we had let the situation play out over a longer period of time?
However, while we are often quick to point fingers, let's also be sure to recognize that pushing issues to the forefront of the public's attention can positively impact the broader discourse. Last week, for instance, the media's continued focus on Vice President Biden's comments supporting gay marriage was the catalyst for President Obama to finally confirm his position on the issue. No matter your stance, it's clearly a great outcome to have a better sense of our Commander in Chief's thinking. Even more importantly, for the first time in history, the loudest voice in the country put his support behind gay marriage.
So, here we are: a world of commentators, Tweeters, bloggers, and citizens with one of the most powerful tools developed in the history of mankind (the Internet) at our fingertips, literally, but how do we plan to use it? And, what is our collective responsibility? It's clearly valuable to push ideas forward that deserve attention, but just as important that we don't force our political leaders to make short-term tactical decisions at the expense of long-term strategic goals. Remaining the envy of the world requires constant innovation and thought-leadership -- it's something we've done since our country was founded, so let's make sure we don't use technology to our detriment.
Follow Abby Huntsman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/huntsmanabby
If "our" points to the American public as a whole, the ones responsible for our democracy, our first responsibility is to be informed and no matter how much legitimate information is out there it does no good if we fail to seek to be informed, ...and truthfully.
While a large portion of our population only seeks to be informed by one biased news source, there is a huge portion that doesn't seek to be informed at all! They could care less.
They clearly don't understand the First responsibility of the citizens of a democracy.
Important issues that were once the underpinnings and common ground most citizens shared are being splintered,twisted,and sometimes ignored,much to our peril.
Flummery for the flummoxed.
What a waste.
http://wonkette.com/473272/to-which-television-job-is-this-latest-vapid-political-daughter-entitled
There is a lot of raw information to be found on the internet,but it seems to me that as soon as major events hit the mainstream,the spin doctors go to work. The Royal Society presented an overview of population,and its effects,that was spun by self proclaimed experts into so called "bad science" while "the hive" doesn't even know of its existance for the most part...
An interesting read, on the way the web is changing the world can be found in a series of essays published by John Brachman last year called CULTURE,and can be found at Amazon.
Police state filtration will. Currently alternate information sources expose what mediocre media is choosing to miss.
"Pony Express"
Whence America? If Indians had been left to intercept and control communications?
"Communication allows us to break the boundaries"
and paradoxes in problematical personal perceptions.
"what does it mean for a democracy?"
A two thousand five hundred year renaissance, if Barack doesn't hemlock it down.
"1986 meetings between Reagan and Gorbachev, the U.S. was able to achieve a long term and strategically significant resolution."
Mind you. The unavoidable reality that neither could win but both would lose, may have had something to do with that.
"if we had let the situation play out over a longer period"
What time's the next asteroid?
"one of the most powerful tools developed in the history of mankind (the Internet) at our fingertips, literally, but how"
long before we get our hands chopped off? For stealing the thunder of the gods.
"push ideas"
Surely the only ideas that require that form of propulsion, are those that can’t progress under their own motive force. Just kick-start our collective consciousness with a couple of inconvenient questions. That ought to get us moving.
"since our country was founded"
we’ve been digging a hole to bury the fundamental purpose of human existence in. Shall we lift it out and take a real hard good look at it? Or simply start shovelling the earth back in on top?
pray cousin. gently pray
To quote from the so-called good book, "Physician, heal thyself". .... and in the event you are unfamiliar with the meaning of this verse from Luke........ The moral of the proverb is counsel to attend to one's own defects rather than criticizing defects in others.
So go now, and fix the GOP and TeaPublicans on their web sites...... most of us on here know that the GOP is a large part of the problem. The two party monopoly has corrupted American politics. Break up the RNC and Dems into smaller parties. Let the Religious Wrong (they are far from right) and the Tea Party split from the GOP and the Greens and Occupy Folks split from the old school Dems.
So when is this article gonna get published on Fox News?