Blogging: The new arena for social change is an assigned topic per my participation in the Young Caucasus Women project, an effort to introduce selected students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to blogging and provide a bit of initial mentoring for them. I'd encourage all of my readers to click and read around at the previous links to see what this months long project has been up to. It's a wonderful opportunity to bring blogging to a unique and important part of the world.
I view social change as an incredibly broad topic, one that could encompass any number of areas. But regardless of the topic, it's likely that blogging can play a key role because of its from the ground up approach.
For instance, American bloggers played a significant role in a pre-election event in 2004 when a television network used what appeared to be a fraudulent document to support a story which cast one of that year's Presidential candidates in a negative light. The document was examined and all but proved fraudulent within hours of its being broadcast, striking a blow at the heart of large media organizations which had previously dominated the control of content most Americans received everyday in the form of news.
The on going social change that incident contributed to seems to be a tendency for Americans to get their news from alternate sources, opening up the range of discussion to alternate points of view and previously under-reported facts, particularly through blogs, but also through radio. It lays the groundwork for a more democratic dialog amongst the population going forward.
Right now in America there is an on going blog initiative called PorkBusters. In this context, Pork represents tax dollars collected by our government and spent on different projects and initiatives within politicians home states, projects many Americans might view as wasteful or unnecessary. By mounting an effort to bring attention to this practice and hold specific politicians accountable when they are directly involved, it is hoped that a from of social change might occur, causing politicians to be more responsible and responsive to Americans when it comes to allocating our tax dollars. That in itself would be a significant social change.
Depending upon one's views, a blogger can form a blog for any topic they choose. It might directly involve political change, or it could be on some perceived social view. One such effort addressed the case of Terry Schiavo - a young woman who was being kept alive on live support. Many bloggers felt it would be wrong to remove her from that support and allow her to die. A blog and eventually a large contingent of bloggers became involved, as did the established media, and eventually the issue was debated at a national level.
Regardless of topic or point of view, once a blog is established, technology allows it to reach out and network through, eventually, millions of other individuals through blogs, newsgroups and other Internet forums to attract like-minded individuals.
If the social, political or economic idea in question is popular with enough people, over time it can take on a sort of critical mass, making it nearly impossible for the greater society to ignore. Such topics and ideas increasingly have a way of trickling up into larger forms of media including radio and also television.
In short, this from the ground up approach manifest in blogging can ultimately help to bring about any form of social change a democratic society thinks worthwhile. All that is required is an individual with a good idea, or different perspective, with the determination to put their thoughts out there on the Internet consistently over a period of time long enough to allow the concept to germinate and hopefully one day resonate through a significant portion of the potential audience. And as the Caucasus project shows, the potential audience today for bloggers is the whole wide world.
Please take a moment to visit the project links I'll repost at bottom. Lastly, an effort is underway to provide a similar mentoring program to young women from Africa. I'd strongly encourage any women blogers looking to get involved to check it out by contacting me or the Caucasus site. I believe blogging has the potential to contribute in a positive way to changing the world. Initiatives like these allow you to become a part of it.
Blogging: The new arena for social change is an assigned topic per my participation in the Young Caucasus Women project, an effort to introduce selected students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to blogging and provide a bit of initial mentoring for them. I'd encourage all of my readers to click and read around at the previous links to see what this months long project has been up to. It's a wonderful opportunity to bring blogging to a unique and important part of the world. Mentor's posts appear here.
Dan,
This is very neat! And you are so right about blogging bringing people together and spreading or enhancing positive social change. Steel put up a post about an American geological team finding huge oil reserves in Afghanistan. Some guy just happened to read that post - he didn't know from his own country - and he wrote the most enthusiastic response in a comment. Wow.... it felt SO good to read it and to respond with equal enthusiasm for the future prosperity for Afghanistan. Steel also put a post up about asking anyone from anywhere around the world to share 'their world' in a comment. A most beautifully written comment came in from a guy who lives in Jerusalem. It was stunning, actually. What a warm feeling it gives to share the good.
The best? To help women in distant third-world countries make a connection to another 'world' where they will be encouraged. Please repost the progress of this....
Posted by: Phoenix | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 11:54 PM
I bookmarked it and 'talked' with a woman in Serbia about school. What a cool feeling. I can sit here and talk about school all day, but it is 'very' different to talk to someone that far away. I want to find some female bloggers from China and Africa.
Posted by: Phoenix | Monday, March 20, 2006 at 10:42 PM
Very cool, Dan. Way to raise the awareness.
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