Hi everyone, I agree with Rich on the limitation of mobiles in political mobilization. Even the anti-Estrada movement itself was full of evidence showing the limitation of SMS, as Vincent Rafael analyzed, which we included in the new book. Economist also got the SARS case wrong. What happened in 2003 in China actually showed the *lack* of power of SMS, for Beijing successfully used mass media to "dispel" SMS "rumors". We discussed this briefly in pp.207-208 of the book as well.
Anyway, I'd thank the magazine for mentioning the book and calling us eggheads, although it'll be better if they read more than our conclusion. Best, Jack [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Hello all, > > > > I saw this post on the telecom-cities list. It discusses some of the > impacts of mobile communication on the political system. It makes some > interesting points. At the same time, there are some missing elements > in the discussion. While the mobile phone allows for the mobilization > of political movements (like in the case of Estrada) it also results in > the possibility for internal fractionalization that is the anathema for > protest movements. > > > > Rich L. > > > > ________________________________ > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of C.J. Gabbe > Sent: Friday, October 27, 2006 12:24 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [telecom-cities] Mobile phones and "empowerment" > > > > Interesting general article on mobile phones and community mobilization > in this week's The Economist: > > http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8089676&; > fsrc=RSS > > > Full text: > Liberation technology > > Mobiles, protests and pundits > > Oct 26th 2006 | BUJUMBURA AND LONDON > FromThe Economist print edition > > > Mobile phones are changing politics faster than academics can follow > > UNTIL recently, killers in Burundi found it easy to cover their traces; > they just tossed the bodies into a river where crocodiles would eat them > up. But in August residents of Muyinga province acted fast when they saw > fresh corpses drifting downstream; they used their mobile phones to > contact NGOs, who in turn tipped off the United Nations, whose soldiers > got to the scene fast enough to recover some forensic evidence. > > The use of mobiles as a tool of "empowerment", even in the poorest and > worst-governed parts of the world, is not always so grisly. The cruder > kinds of electoral fraud, relying on poor communications between the > capital and the boondocks, are now much harder. Even with minimal > resources, monitors can count the voters and conduct exit polls-and then > phone their findings to a radio station before the authorities stuff the > ballot boxes. Such methods have helped make elections a bit cleaner in > places like Ghana and Kenya. Meanwhile, in Europe's darkest corner, > Belarus, text messages call youngsters to surreal acts of resistance, > such as (to take a recent example) gathering to eat ice cream. > > Howard Rheingold, an American technology guru, has devised the pun > "smart mobs" to describe the way mobile telephony-and especially > texts-make it possible for aggrieved groups to act and react in an ever > more nimble way. > > Chroniclers of cellular people power identify two big landmarks: the > rallies that toppled President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines in > 2001, and South Korea's presidential election a year later, when text > messages among the young brought a surge of support for President Roh > Moo-hyun. In both those countries protests are still convened by text > message not just at critical times, when national leadership is at > stake, but to highlight almost any sort of grievance. > > For Europeans "mobile democracy" came of age with the Spanish election > of March 2004, immediately after a terrorist attack in Madrid: the > Socialists rode to power on a wave of text-driven anger with the ruling > conservatives. In America some claim the same happened at the Republican > convention in 2004, when text messages helped protesters play > cat-and-mouse with the New York police. > > It is also true that modern telephone technology has its uses, for > sophisticated armies, as a weapon of war. The Chechen leader, Jokar > Dudayev, was traced and killed by the Russians through his satellite > phone; and the Israelis used an exploding handset to assassinate a > leading Palestinian bomb-maker. > > But in the competition to use mobiles in a more benign way, ordinary > people often prevail over their masters. When governments try to crack > down on the mobile phone as a popular tool of communication, their > efforts usually go haywire. During the SARS epidemic in China, for > example, the authorities tried to censor text messages that mentioned > the disease, but their attempt proved easy to circumvent. > > In the run-up to this year's elections in Congo, all the parties used > mobiles to summon the faithful. That prompted the security services to > shut down several numbers used by opposition leaders. But in such a > mobile-savvy country, the effect of such clumsy repression was > short-lived. > > In short, the use of mobiles in protest and politics and even banking > (see article > <http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8089667 > > ) is evolving faster than governments' efforts to control it. > Academics also find the phenomenon baffling, though they are studying it > hard. Four eggheads with links to California's Annenberg School of > Communication will publish next month a book based on a two-year study > of mobile phones and society. Their punchy conclusion? "When the > dominant institutions of society no longer have the monopoly of > mass-communication networks, the dialectics between power and > counter-power is, for better or worse, altered for ever." True enough, > though the average teenage texter might put it better: "whn u cn fon u r > in chrge 4vr". > > > > -- > _____________________ > > C.J. Gabbe > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 206.250.9116 > > > ------_=_NextPart_001_01C6F990.8CEFDEF6 > Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > X-Google-AttachSize: 12684 > > <html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" > xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" > xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" > xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" > xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40";> > > <head> > <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> > <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> > <!--[if !mso]> > <style> > v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} > o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} > w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} > .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} > </style> > <![endif]--><o:SmartTagType > namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="time"/> > <!--[if !mso]> > <style> > st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } > </style> > <![endif]--> > <style> > <!-- > /* Font Definitions */ > @font-face > {font-family:Verdana; > panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;} > @font-face > {font-family:Tahoma; > panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;} > /* Style Definitions */ > p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal > {margin:0cm; > margin-bottom:.0001pt; > font-size:12.0pt; > font-family:"Times New Roman";} > h1 > {margin-top:12.0pt; > margin-right:0cm; > margin-bottom:3.0pt; > margin-left:0cm; > page-break-after:avoid; > font-size:16.0pt; > font-family:Arial; > font-weight:bold;} > h2 > {margin-top:12.0pt; > margin-right:0cm; > margin-bottom:3.0pt; > margin-left:0cm; > page-break-after:avoid; > font-size:14.0pt; > font-family:Arial; > font-weight:bold; > font-style:italic;} > h3 > {margin-top:12.0pt; > margin-right:0cm; > margin-bottom:3.0pt; > margin-left:0cm; > page-break-after:avoid; > font-size:13.0pt; > font-family:Arial; > font-weight:bold;} > a:link, span.MsoHyperlink > {color:blue; > text-decoration:underline;} > a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed > {color:blue; > text-decoration:underline;} > p > {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; > margin-right:0cm; > mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; > margin-left:0cm; > font-size:12.0pt; > font-family:"Times New Roman";} > p.Telenoroverskrift1, li.Telenoroverskrift1, div.Telenoroverskrift1 > {margin-top:12.0pt; > margin-right:0cm; > margin-bottom:3.0pt; > margin-left:0cm; > page-break-after:avoid; > font-size:16.0pt; > font-family:Verdana; > font-weight:bold;} > p.Telenoroverskrift2, li.Telenoroverskrift2, div.Telenoroverskrift2 > {margin-top:12.0pt; > margin-right:0cm; > margin-bottom:3.0pt; > margin-left:0cm; > page-break-after:avoid; > font-size:14.0pt; > font-family:Verdana; > font-weight:bold; > font-style:italic;} > p.Telenoroverskrift3, li.Telenoroverskrift3, div.Telenoroverskrift3 > {margin-top:12.0pt; > margin-right:0cm; > margin-bottom:3.0pt; > margin-left:0cm; > page-break-after:avoid; > font-size:13.0pt; > font-family:Verdana; > font-weight:bold;} > span.EmailStyle21 > {mso-style-type:personal-reply; > font-family:Arial; > color:navy;} > @page Section1 > {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; > margin:70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt;} > div.Section1 > {page:Section1;} > --> > </style> > > </head> > > <body lang=NO-BOK link=blue vlink=blue> > > <div class=Section1> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: > 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Hello all,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: > 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-US > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I saw this post on the > telecom-cities list. It discusses some of the impacts of mobile > communication > on the political system. It makes some interesting points. At the > same time, there are some missing elements in the discussion. While the > mobile phone allows for the mobilization of political movements (like in the > case of Estrada) it also results in the possibility for internal > fractionalization that is the anathema for protest movements. > <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-US > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-US > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Rich L. > <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-US > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> > > <div> > > <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 > face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt'> > > <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> > > </span></font></div> > > <p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font > size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> > [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <b><span > style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>C.J. Gabbe<br> > <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Friday, October 27, 2006 > <st1:time > Minute="24" Hour="0" w:st="on">12:24 AM</st1:time><br> > <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> > [email protected]<br> > <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [telecom-cities] Mobile > phones and "empowerment"</span></font><span > lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p> > > </div> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: > 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: > 12.0pt'>Interesting general article on mobile phones and community > mobilization > in this week's The Economist:<br> > <br> > <a > href="http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8089676&fsrc=RSS"; > target="_blank">http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8089676&fsrc=RSS > </a><br> > <br> > <br> > Full text:<br> > </span></font><b><font size=2 color="#cc0033" face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#CC0033;font-weight:bold'>Liberation > technology</span></font></b> <br> > <br> > <b><font size=4 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Verdana; > font-weight:bold'>Mobiles, protests and pundits</span></font></b><font size=1 > color="#999999" face=Verdana><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Verdana; > color:#999999'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p> > > <div> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 color="#999999" face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Verdana;color:#999999'>Oct 26th 2006 | > BUJUMBURA AND LONDON <br> > FromThe Economist print edition<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> > > </div> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: > 12.0pt'><br> > </span></font><b><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt; > font-family:Verdana;font-weight:bold'>Mobile phones are changing politics > faster than academics can follow</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>UNTIL > recently, killers in Burundi found it easy to cover their traces; they just > tossed the bodies into a river where crocodiles would eat them up. But in > August residents of Muyinga province acted fast when they saw fresh corpses > drifting downstream; they used their mobile phones to contact NGOs, who in > turn > tipped off the United Nations, whose soldiers got to the scene fast enough to > recover some forensic evidence.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt; > font-family:Verdana'>The use of mobiles as a tool of "empowerment", > even in the poorest and worst-governed parts of the world, is not always so > grisly. The cruder kinds of electoral fraud, relying on poor communications > between > the capital and the boondocks, are now much harder. Even with minimal > resources, monitors can count the voters and conduct exit polls—and then > phone their findings to a radio station before the authorities stuff the > ballot > boxes. Such methods have helped make elections a bit cleaner in places like > Ghana and Kenya. Meanwhile, in Europe's darkest corner, Belarus, text messages > call youngsters to surreal acts of resistance, such as (to take a recent > example) gathering to eat ice cream. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Howard > Rheingold, an American technology guru, has devised the pun "smart > mobs" to describe the way mobile telephony—and especially > texts—make it possible for aggrieved groups to act and react in an ever > more nimble way. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Chroniclers > of cellular people power identify two big landmarks: the rallies that toppled > President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines in 2001, and South Korea's > presidential election a year later, when text messages among the young brought > a surge of support for President Roh Moo-hyun. In both those countries > protests > are still convened by text message not just at critical times, when national > leadership is at stake, but to highlight almost any sort of > grievance.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>For > Europeans "mobile democracy" came of age with the Spanish election > of > March 2004, immediately after a terrorist attack in Madrid: the Socialists > rode > to power on a wave of text-driven anger with the ruling conservatives. In > America some claim the same happened at the Republican convention in 2004, > when > text messages helped protesters play cat-and-mouse with the New York police. > </span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>It > is also true that modern telephone technology has its uses, for sophisticated > armies, as a weapon of war. The Chechen leader, Jokar Dudayev, was traced and > killed by the Russians through his satellite phone; and the Israelis used an > exploding handset to assassinate a leading Palestinian bomb-maker. > </span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>But > in the competition to use mobiles in a more benign way, ordinary people often > prevail over their masters. When governments try to crack down on the mobile > phone as a popular tool of communication, their efforts usually go haywire. > During the SARS epidemic in China, for example, the authorities tried to > censor > text messages that mentioned the disease, but their attempt proved easy to > circumvent.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>In > the run-up to this year's elections in Congo, all the parties used mobiles to > summon the faithful. That prompted the security services to shut down several > numbers used by opposition leaders. But in such a mobile-savvy country, the > effect of such clumsy repression was short-lived. > </span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p><font size=2 face=Verdana><span > style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>In > short, the use of mobiles in protest and politics and even banking (see <a > href="http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8089667"; > target="_blank">article </a>) is evolving faster than governments' efforts to > control it. Academics also find the phenomenon baffling, though they are > studying it hard. Four eggheads with links to California's Annenberg School of > Communication will publish next month a book based on a two-year study of > mobile phones and society. Their punchy conclusion? "When the dominant > institutions of society no longer have the monopoly of mass-communication > networks, the dialectics between power and counter-power is, for better or > worse, altered for ever." True enough, though the average teenage texter > might > put it better: "whn u cn fon u r in chrge > 4vr".</span></font><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: > 12.0pt'><br clear=all> > <br> > -- <br> > _____________________<br> > <br> > C.J. Gabbe<br> > <a href="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</a><br> > 206.250.9116 <br> > > </div> > > </body> > > </html> > > ------_=_NextPart_001_01C6F990.8CEFDEF6-- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mobile-society" group. 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