Week 4; Blog 3 - Online Tyranny

The article is from the following site: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/brazilian_blogger_assasinated_this_week_in_online.php.

In America, we are used to being able to say whatever we want wherever and whenever we want, whether it is in the real world or in cyberspace.  However, in many other countries throughout the world, the luxury that we have does not exist at all.  The fact that Facebook and Twitter accounted for the Arab Spring of this year has led to a greater crackdown on social networking and blogging sites throughout much of the world.  For example, in Bahrain, a doctor who blogs was jailed for fifteen years because of what he said online while another was jailed for life.

In Brazil, a blogger was murdered by a gang.  A newspaper editor and affiliated with a union, Ednaldo Figueira was shot down on his street and left for dead with six bullet holes in him.  This came after receiving many death threats.  The article’s writer believed that he was gunned down by crime bosses affiliated with the government. 

In other countries, such as China, Pakistan, and ones in Central Asia, search engines are blocking websites with information about the government.  This case of governmental control (Big Brother) is evidence of the fear that governments have over the democratization that the internet has brought to the world.  People now have a voice and have the ability to find information that they are looking for.  The governments – seeing what happened to governments brought down in Egypt and Tunisia – fear the power of the voice of the people.

This is very interesting.  First, it underscores how lucky we are in this country to enjoy the freedoms that we have.  We must continue to show this to our students so that they value their voice.  As a history teacher, I think that students would find it fascinating to engage in a lesson called, “How Facebook Changed the World.”  This would really make them think about the world and see connections to issues that they haven’t seen before.

It also makes me wonder what will happen in five, ten, fifteen years.  There is no way that the governments will be able to control what the people view, say and do.  Their ability to do so will go only so far.  People will find ways around Big Brother.  Once that happens, what will happen?  Will democracies be set up throughout the entire world?   Will this eventually bring peace?  Will there end up being no physical borders in the world, but instead cybernations – countries whose citizens are from all over the real world but connect the most through cyberconnections?  I know that this sounds farfetched, but it’s something interesting to think about. 

Still, what needs to be thought about right now are those activists in less fortunate countries risking their lives to try to bring a better world to their friends and families.  It is truly amazing to see how the cyberworld has quickly changed the real world.  Hopefully, the bloggers’ lives who have been lost will not be in vain, but will instead have been essential voices that brought about the downfall of oppressive regimes throughout the world.

Only time will tell.

Hopkins, Curt. “Brazilian Blogger Assassinated: This Week in Online Tyranny.”  1 July 2011.  Web.  ReadWriteWeb.  14 July 2011.  <http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/brazilian_blogger_assasinated_this_week_in_online.php>.