Egypt Leaves the Internet

In an unprecedented turn of events, Egypt has cut off virtually all access to the Internet, reports here on Renesys and here on CNN leaving the country off the grid. Authorities there have also cut off cell phone services.

Of course, this is an attempt to silence dissent, to limit access to news stories, and to prevent political protesters from using the web as a tool with which to organize. There are, however, bigger implications that are relatively unknown: what happens when an entire country disconnects?

Ultimately, the bigger question is whether the ties formed through the web are stronger than the muscle and guns of authority? The internet is a tool, enabling organizing, exchange of information, protest. But ultimately, the revolution has to be fought hand-to-hand in the real world.

Youtube/Google: Interview with the President

January 27th, 2011, at 2:30 EST President Obama will answer questions submitted by YouTube viewers. Submit yours & tune in to watch.

Your Interview With the President

3 Short Articles: Changing Cultural Paradigms

Three articles from the NY Times Magazine (1/2/11) provide three examples of how convergence of digital technologies is fundamentally changing or affecting our culture and our paradigms about ourselves & the world.

My Cart, My Self: Are we the Sum (or Algorithmic equation) of our Purchases?


Rewired: The ideological Implications of our New Fiber-Optice Infrastructure

Global Entertainment: How On-Line Geo-Tools and their Tweakers Make the Surveiilance State Fun

Facebook & Twitter Help Protesters Organize in Egypt

Check out this article from CNN on unfolding events in Egypt as Egyptians contune their protests against their authoritarian government. The important thing for our class is to consider how new communication technologies like Facebook and Twitter are affecting (1) the way citizens can inform and organize themselves and (2) the way journalists (and the rest of the world) learn about events on the ground.

CNN reports on protests in Egypt

Since the evolution of these technologies there have been other protest movements in places like Tibet, Pakistan, and Iran. In all cases, organizers used technologies to bring out supporters and get information out to the world. In all cases, authoritarian regimes limited access to the Internet and sites like Twitter and Facebook, seeing them as a real threat. Unfortunately, in all cases, the gun was more powerful than the keyboard and the authoritarian regimes prevailed.

Videos Links: Understanding Evolution of the Web

The following links refer to media shown in Convergence class on Tuesday, Jan 25th.

Ted Talks Video: Tim Berners Lee on the history and the evolution of the "next" (i.e. semantic) web. A brief description of the evolution across web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0.



Web 2.0 The Machine is Us/ing Us





Another description of Web 2.0, with examples and discussion of the technologies that make it possible. (Many such videos are circulating out there, courtesy of thousands of contributors like you & me exchanging knowledge in this gift economy that characterizes the web.




Finally, this is a an article that excerpts the assigned article "The Future is Smart Machines (and Soup)" by Miko Coffey.

Teen Tech Incubators Needed in Urban Centers

Teen Tech Incubators needed in urban centers. From BlackWeb2.0. "The adoption and literacy of technology for inner-city youth should be our primary concern." (Interesting dialogue in comments section also).