RSA Animate - The Internet in Society: Empowering and Censoring Citizen?

Comment 39 Comments

  • Behaviour change
  • Social innovation

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

39 Comments

Please login to post a comment or reply

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

  • Picture of ABTOP

    I got to say you guys are exceptional drawers. Just keep the text a bit larger, KO?

  • Picture of Jbartas

    Sure, the oppressors can use the Internet, but with earlier broadcast technologies like TV ad radio, ONLY the oppressors could use it. Even Radio Free Europe was still controlled by the US, not Soviet dissidents. With the non-broadcast technologies like phones, faxes and more recently Internet the primary beneficiaries are the protesters.

    I agree with deviator77 - Morozov is incredible wrong. He tries get away with it by setting up bogus straw man arguments and then refuting them, rather than debating someone who's actually used the internet for activism. Fortunately the activists in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, etc., didn;t listen to him and proved how silly his idea is.

  • Picture of Renata D.

    Pretty visionary for 2009 talk. I always look forward to RSA Animate. They are all excellent.

  • Picture of Markjamesliberto

    I agree with you on that, but, one thing to take notice is he did mention how oppressive institutions can and have taken down and taken aim at these cyber revolutionists who have taken action. One thing that mitigates the muffling of these activists, is when people from other free and stronger nations take notice. But, if the people in these nations have their social needs met, and are at self actualization, then, what is to stop them from simply ignoring these outcries for social justice and going online for their "panem ET circenses"