In this new RSAnimate adapted from a talk at the RSA, author and journalist Evgeny Morozov presents an alternative take on 'cyber-utopianism' - the seductive idea that the internet plays a largely empancipatory role in global politics.
In this new RSAnimate adapted from a talk at the RSA, author and journalist Evgeny Morozov presents an alternative take on 'cyber-utopianism' - the seductive idea that the internet plays a largely empancipatory role in global politics.
Join the discussion
Comments
Please login to post a comment or reply
Don't have an account? Click here to register.
...Interesting that RSA comment seems to be deleting my comment as soon as it is posted. Maybe they don't like my lengthy criticism of Morozov. Your site, your rules, I suppose; this time I will keep it short. If you want to see what I think of Morozov's most recent public contributions (the above talk is from 2009), I have a detailed criticism here: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/201...
Anyway, to be brief: I think Morozov is misrepresenting the way the hierarchy of needs should be seen in relationship to the internet. He says people will fulfill their social needs with Youtube and Facebook before they empower themselves and try to make the world a better place (self-actualization). However, this would only apply to places where people's more basic needs are being adequately met; in a place where the government is threatening the people's rights to food, shelter and safety, the people are going to use the internet for obtaining these things before they use it for social time on Youtube and Facebook. They will use the internet to challenge their government, because their government is endangering their more basic needs.
From Morozov's twitter just now: evgenymorozov Evgeny Morozov
I must be the last person to link to the RSA Animate clip of my talk http://goo.gl/2pxi4 (keep in mind: I gave that talk in 2009!)
Well, he makes a point beyond just that dictators block websites. They actually can use technology to gather information, increase their own legitimacy and track down dissidents. I don't believe he means to devalue the fact that those websites can exist; he's just pointing out that the internet can be just as much an asset for the oppressors as it is for the oppressed.
I don't know that I've ever seen someone so wrong so many times in such a short timespan. I think the worst part is when he explains how dictators and despots use technology to block websites, but completely circumnavigates the fact that those sites were up in the first place and certainly will be replaced.
Excellent quality lecture and visuals, as usual. Just one note: the illustrator missed writing down "Cyber Hedonism" after Cyber Activism. Given how well the illustrations aid and reinforce the points made in RSA lectures, I think that seeing the words "Cyber Hedonism" would really reinforce the contrast between intended and actual uses of the internet, even (or especially?) by the cyber-savvy.