More thoughts from Nathan on the power of brevity in networked activism (as part of the PBS “Digital National” Roundtable):
I do worry that these digital medium are overtaking the message they bear, gaining an importance simply because they are being used, and not because they are significant in any lasting way themselves. Yes, Twitter is convenient, but in places without it, the phenomenon of Twitter still occurs via text messages, message boards, forums, game chat, taxi radios and so on. In addition, there have been many profound moments throughout history where someone has uttered a statement less than one hundred and forty characters long that has had a huge impact on the world. Whether it be “Ich bin ein Berliner”, “Tear down this wall” or “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”, our brains are wired to be moved by the turn of a terse, inspired phrase. In addition, as the Chinese artist and dissident Ai Wei Wei (@AIWW) recently observed, you can say much more in 140 Chinese characters than you can in the Latin alphabet, so the idea that something would be deep or not because it is on Twitter or a blog will hopefully soon be an observation only uttered by dismissive novices.
English: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (162 characters – untweetable w/o edits sadly)
Chinese translation: 我有一个梦想，我的四个孩子将生活在一个有一天，他们不会被判断他们的肤色，而是以他们的品格的国度里生活。(89 characters! tweet away!)
If I can paraphrase, Dr. King was right (as usual) – it *is* about the content of the characters, and not the color (or length) of them.
Read the full discussion here.
Nathan talks about virtuous action and how it relates to the work of the Tibet Action Institute.
Listen now:
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Make sure to check out the PBS Frontline: Digital Nation Roundtable that Nathan is participating in this coming week at http://pbs.org/frontline/digitalnation
“Google.cn is dead… Long live Google.com.hk!”
In our first audio episode, Lhadon and Nathan discuss both the significance and subtlety of Google’s recent semi-exit from China.
Listen now:
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If you haven’t heard the news, Google.cn is gone, replaced by a freedom-loving, uncensored Google.com.hk!
In addition, if you are curious which Google Services are still available from within mainland China (and Tibet, as well, we hope), just visit their new dashboard and you can find out. Here’s the report from today….
Ever since he came out against the Bird’s Nest stadium that he designed, Ai Weiwei has been increasingly seen as a unique voice, unafraid to speak his mind about the state of China through his words, actions, blogs and tweets.
Tonight, ReadWriteWeb, a popular blog covering social media, will be hosting a special event in New York City, with the co-founder of Twitter joining in a live conversation with @AiWW:
Digital activism and social media affects us all. No one knows this better than Chinese celebrated artist, architectural designer, activist, blogger and compassionate hero Ai Weiwei.
On March 15, 2009 at 6:30 pm ET join Ai Weiwei, Jack Dorsey and Richard MacManus in a conversation moderated by Emily Parker, the Arthur Ross Fellow at the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations, about the relevance of new social networks, digital activism and their effect on positive social change.
This historic conversation will be streamed live, exclusively on ReadWriteWeb. The video below tells Ai Weiwei’s story, as an artist and activist.
You can learn more and watch the stream live tonight at http://www.readwriteweb.com/weiwei/
You can also follow him on Twitter @aiww.
Above: Ai Wei Wei flips Mao the bird at Tiananmen Square.
You can support a smart organization and an excellent idea all just by sharing a link and an avatar:
Reporters Without Borders will celebrate World Day Against Cyber Censorship on 12 March. This event is intended to rally everyone in support of a single Internet that is unrestricted and accessible to all. It is also meant to draw attention to the fact that, by creating new spaces for exchanging ideas and information, the Internet is a force for freedom. However, more and more governments have realised this and are reacting by trying to control the Internet.
Read on and get your own avatar graphic to share at: http://www.rsf.org/World-Day-Against-Cyber-Censorship.html
