Media 2.0: The dividing line between open and closed societies has been 'ripped up'

Friday, 11 November 2011 11:03

Written by Niamh Griffin

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Did social media drive the arab spring protests or was it more important as a tool for driving international media coverage. Kyrgyzstan's "Analog Revolution" was ignored, wrote Foreign Policy blogger Evgeny Morozov.

Social media does not only divide opinions, it also has the potential to alter divisions in and between societies, a conference on digital media and democracy heard in Dublin on Wednesday.

Political blogger Mick Fealty said one of the democratic functions of an online news outlet is to ‘explore stories slowly, stories without a grand narrative … the real advantage of blogging is that it has brought socialism to life.”

Focusing on the events of the Arab Spring, he said an Irish audience should remember this was driven by “a small group of the wealthy elite” who used the Internet to spread their message.

Discussing a video shot on a hospital ward in Tunisia, he said “(They) are bringing the news from nowhere, and it is very powerful stuff … the real skill was in taking the revolution away from Facebook and onto mobile phones …eventually to Al Jazeera,” Mr Fealty said.

The Cleraun Media Conference, held in association with the Carnegie UK Trust, addressed issues of access, standards and choice in the media.

Bob Collins, chair of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland warned that limited finances can negatively affect engagement with social media and with information.

“There is a real issue of a class divide, of an age divide,” he said referring to an growing tendency by government bodies and other agencies in Ireland to engage with the public online.

However, he pointed to the creative potential of the internet for users, saying surveys found one-fifth of those reading blogs go on to create a blog themselves.

Former director of broadcasting at Scottish Television, Blair Jenkins also addressed “the widening information gap” caused by age and poverty. He said the media should present the facts and allow the people to make up their minds, but suggested “civic society organisations become more involved in the media.”

Looking outside of Ireland, Irish Times editor Kevin O’ Sullivan said independent media had “obliterated the state message” during the Arab Spring. “(media) had ripped up the dividing line between open and closed societies.”

Opinions are likely to remain divided for some time to come. In a Economist debate last spring, Morozov – who is also the author of "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom" – proposed the motion that the internet is not inherently a force for democracy. Of those who voted online, 42% agreed with him while 58% did not.