The article talks about how the protests are continuing in China. Supposedly they are concerned about what they citizens need and they are watching and learning. ""Now senior officials go to the Internet to find out what crimes are being committed by local officials," said Mo Shaoping, a prominent Beijing lawyer who specializes in human rights and press freedom." Well it seems that the sites related to just those issues are blocked from other countries. They have their own way of using the Internet, with many many restrictions. People are arrested who blog negative things that are being done by the Communist Party. When they feel heat they just shut sites down. People have learned how to get around some of the restrictions.
I think things will change in China.
Wow! It's pretty bad when the law enforcement has to learn from the media what crimes are currently being committed in their area. You would think it should be the other way around--where media would know second.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it seems like it would have been only a matter of time before people found out ways to still express their views. In different countries and different time periods, it came in the form of underground newspapers. Now, it's in the form of coding their websites to keep from being restricted. It's all really quite interesting, if you think about it.
Hello Kathie you have really updated your blog site since my last visit (nice)! I have a comment that I forgot to list on my blog about netizens in the United States have used the internet to have people call their state governors to make Feb 14th Congenital Heart Disease awareness day; and it took about one to two years but many states delared feb 14 th CHD day. The power of the internet has made some very important issues to unknowledged people aware and to stand up and do something about it; and other blog sites (like Anna Nicole Smith's death, in my oppinion wasn't one of them). Plus, in the last ten years the internet in the United States has either helped or not helped politicians' runing for office, and to get campaign contributions by netizens. My blog address is http://thefutureoftheworldwideweb.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose a simple blog layout with neutral colors. I'm not on your blog roll, though :(
ReplyDeleteI like how you indicated that the Internet allows for campaigns to take place on a broader base. With Netizens posting videos online, celebrities and influential leaders can advocate for change through the Internet, which is a better medium to spread a message through for immediate action rather than a traditional form of mass media.
The Internet does allow for anonymous people to get together within a country to help shed light on the problems inside the border. I do agree with you that one day there will be changes in China. Maybe not today or in the next month, but as technology develops and more high tech devices make their way into China, there will be some changes made because the people will get together just like they are doing online. History repeats itself. When there is a force trying to suppress a mass, eventually the mass will overthrow the leaders. Technology will cause quite a stir, I believe.