The advent of print media brought many huge social changes into the drama that is human existance. As literacy rates in the Western world began to rise in the 18th and 19th centuries, more and more people had access to information and society gradually became more transparent. This new emerging society has been classified as the beginnings of the information age, where power lies with whomever has access to the most relevent information.
One of the biggest changes incited by print media and rising literacy rates was that it was now much easier for strong minded individuals to spread their views regarding a certain social situation and to print their opinions and to mobilize others towards their cause. Through the media, large groups of people have been able to recognize a common "frame alignment" and mobilize together to evoke some sort of social change.
As discussed in the Snow article, a group must share a similar perspective before they can mobilize. These frame allignments usually revolve around social or political realities and through the frame allignment process the groups' message can be added upon, amplified, and eventually transformed as need be. The Vietnam war in the 60's provided an issue for activists to coalesce around and so became a means of creating a common frame allignment for protestors to mobilize against.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Social Activism and the Media PART ONE - Mediated vs direct access societies
In Modern Social Imaginaries, the author talks about Benedict Anderson's very insightful discussion on the nature of the modern society. He stresses that society is a simultaneous happening of events which as a whole, make up the system in which all the members inside of it live out their lives. He insists that in this model time is exclusively secular, and does not consist of periods of higher time. In other words, in our modern horizontal society all time is valued equally and it is unrelated to any "high points", where seemingly ordinary events would be seen as greatly significant or particularly pious. In past times, such "high points" would have been mediated by kings or high priests and would have been held with the highest reverence. The ancient Aztecs give us a good example of a "high point" in time* (see bottom of page).
However in the modern direct access society, we have instantaneous access to information thereby making society transparent and horizontal. There is no obvious centre, unlike the Kings of old. It is crucial to take a decentralized perspective when thinking about the modern society. In ancient regimes such as that of France, there was always a central figure, the king, who would act as a central node which binded the society together beneath it. The king would also act as a connection to the divine or "high time".
Our society is quite the opposite where each one of us is equidistant to the centre and are immediate to the whole. This is what is known as a direct access society. We have moved from a vertical world of hierarchies where information is mediated through a central apex, to a horizontal direct access society where power lies within the individual. The rise of the individual has led to a rise in human rights, education, self awareness, entrepreneurialism, etc. Rather than being simply a cog in the system, we each feel like we have a purpose and endless possibilities before us...or do we?
Come back next week for part two of this tantalizing exploration into the nature of our modern society and its' relation to the media.
*The Aztecs of 15th century Mexico had a way of dealing with the problem of the leap year. There was a period of four or five days in between the end of the year and the beginning of the next year which was to be treated with the utmost solemnity. The Aztecs believed that it was during this time that the Gods would deliberate the future of humankind and if they were deemed unacceptable, would be struck down. Time became incredibly more significant and the people would look to their Reverend Speaker who was essentially a king and religious symbol.
However in the modern direct access society, we have instantaneous access to information thereby making society transparent and horizontal. There is no obvious centre, unlike the Kings of old. It is crucial to take a decentralized perspective when thinking about the modern society. In ancient regimes such as that of France, there was always a central figure, the king, who would act as a central node which binded the society together beneath it. The king would also act as a connection to the divine or "high time".
Our society is quite the opposite where each one of us is equidistant to the centre and are immediate to the whole. This is what is known as a direct access society. We have moved from a vertical world of hierarchies where information is mediated through a central apex, to a horizontal direct access society where power lies within the individual. The rise of the individual has led to a rise in human rights, education, self awareness, entrepreneurialism, etc. Rather than being simply a cog in the system, we each feel like we have a purpose and endless possibilities before us...or do we?
Come back next week for part two of this tantalizing exploration into the nature of our modern society and its' relation to the media.
*The Aztecs of 15th century Mexico had a way of dealing with the problem of the leap year. There was a period of four or five days in between the end of the year and the beginning of the next year which was to be treated with the utmost solemnity. The Aztecs believed that it was during this time that the Gods would deliberate the future of humankind and if they were deemed unacceptable, would be struck down. Time became incredibly more significant and the people would look to their Reverend Speaker who was essentially a king and religious symbol.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Riches of Space
The world is here for us. We are a product of the planet itself. We are part of it, and that cannot be helped. We are the product of some great grand design, so infinitely complicated that any feeble attempts (although grand for us little creatures) we try to make in regards to attempting to unravel some of the delicate methods of construction and operation of the world we live in just gets swept away into the far reaches of space. However, regardless of the futility of it, it is still fun to think of such things. Especially my favourite subject currently, the idea of an active consciousness. As far as we know, humans are an extremely conscious race. It's our splendid blessing and our biggest curse. We have become so aware of our own surroundings and our own existence that it ceases to bewilder us anymore. Society has reverted into extreme order and conefficience based on the flow of currency. It's a lot of work, moving around merchandise the way we do, or moving around trillions of mb's of date through the network of telephone wires, computer networks, fiber-optics and satellites. All the goods, and all that information has to inevitably go somewhere. We complain about garbage dumps because they're unsightly and bad for the environment, but just think of all the stuff in our own houses! All the huge skyscrapers in downtown Toronto. They're all full of plastic, metal, paper, concrete. Right now we don't consider that garbage, but what happens to it if we humans go away. What would happen to Toronto if all of a sudden, everyone just up and left. What would it be like in 50 years? 200 years? 1000? I picture a vast green structure, giant trees growing up the middle of collapsing buildings. The rafters would become a haven for birds of all kinds. Specs of dirt would blow in and accumulate, giving way to meadows and forests covering the asphalt and the streets. The soil would be added upon by the tiny minute little particles of meteor dust, which tend to drift in from interplanetary space gradually build up. This can increase the worlds total weight by 30,000 metric tons of cosmic dust a year . The largest of these dust particles (about 1/10 of a millimeter in diameter), if placed in the palm of your hand, would be just barely visible to your naked eye.
This brings us to another very important point and that is the subject of space: the final frontier. Humans as a species, are very resourceful. It is our largest and most beneficial asset. From the moment we raised our first club we became an animal obsessed with material posessions. With objects that somehow are able to make our lives just a little bit better. It's what we've been doing from day one. Fire was a big step. That took the longest time but once human beings could create fire at will, the rest was all downhill. And here we are today, with everything that we could possibly want. If a person could be brought here from the year 1000 C.E., they would probably lose their minds. That would be a good character for Will Ferrel or maybe even Ben Stiller to play. A Roman soldier come to modern day North American city. Back to topic, we have ingeniously found many ways to to utilize our raw resources and created a multitude of objects and idea's based on the forever elusive goal of the progressive advancement of humankind. We have quite literally conquered the Earth and we having nothing to do but spread and multiply. At the rate we're going, the Earth will not be able to sustain us in another 100 years. That being said, why should we put all our eggs into one basket so to speak. If one day the Earth decides to stop functioning for us, are we to admit defeat and simply disappear, along with everything that we have ever done or ever would do, given the chance? I say we find a way to get off this rock. If we could find a way to send people to other parts of the solar system to live in a habitable environment, we could ensure our species own survival if something were to go away on Earth. Nay, if we could seek out other planets suitable for human habitation and were able to colonize them, we would in a sense become invincible. If we were able to spread ourselves out throughout the galaxy, it wouldn't matter if something catastrophic happened to an entire planet, because there would be many more planets to break the fall. We would live forever, always moving, always spreading out further and further throughout the fast infinites of space. We would probably survive until the end of time. Or mare accurately, the lifespan of the universe. Eventually, the universe will have expanded so much, and stretched itself so thin, that there simply won't be any energy left in it. The universe will cool, and as stars slowly die out it will gradually blacken. I'm sure if humans ever managed to survive until that late stage in the Universes life cycle, they will have found a way to harness the energy of a star. These dying stars would be minded for their heat and nuclear energy and we would subsist of them until the day when there were no more stars left. Imagine that. The last star in the universe going out. The last bit of light. But at least we'll be able to say that we were there to see the end. We were the ones who got to watch the end of the universe. And then what? What happens after that?
For now, maybe we should consider concentrated our time and energy in thinking about our present state, and strive to create ways to make it better. We'll get into this soon, and that is the idea that success is not only possible, but is actually the best course of action to take for you to take. It benefits you and everyone around you. It is possible to achieve your dreams, it just takes focus, concentration, and directed consciousness. Simply envision your desires within your mind and watch yourself achieving your ambitions. Set your mind and your energy to work for you. A little experiment could be interesting. Think of something you would like to get a hold of, or of a person who perhaps you haven't seen in a while and would like to see or talk to again. Keep your goal in your mind and sub-consciously stay alert to paths that present themselves to you which will take you closer to achieving your goal. If someone invites you somewhere, go with them. If you catch a persons eye, say hi to them. And one must always remember to stay open to new possibilities. Be adventurous and be observative. Pay attention to your energy as it flows in and out of you. Be conscious of what you do with your own energy and how you receive it. When it all comes down to it, it is sometimes easier to sum it all up by doing simply this: do good onto the world, and the world will do good onto you.
e.r
This brings us to another very important point and that is the subject of space: the final frontier. Humans as a species, are very resourceful. It is our largest and most beneficial asset. From the moment we raised our first club we became an animal obsessed with material posessions. With objects that somehow are able to make our lives just a little bit better. It's what we've been doing from day one. Fire was a big step. That took the longest time but once human beings could create fire at will, the rest was all downhill. And here we are today, with everything that we could possibly want. If a person could be brought here from the year 1000 C.E., they would probably lose their minds. That would be a good character for Will Ferrel or maybe even Ben Stiller to play. A Roman soldier come to modern day North American city. Back to topic, we have ingeniously found many ways to to utilize our raw resources and created a multitude of objects and idea's based on the forever elusive goal of the progressive advancement of humankind. We have quite literally conquered the Earth and we having nothing to do but spread and multiply. At the rate we're going, the Earth will not be able to sustain us in another 100 years. That being said, why should we put all our eggs into one basket so to speak. If one day the Earth decides to stop functioning for us, are we to admit defeat and simply disappear, along with everything that we have ever done or ever would do, given the chance? I say we find a way to get off this rock. If we could find a way to send people to other parts of the solar system to live in a habitable environment, we could ensure our species own survival if something were to go away on Earth. Nay, if we could seek out other planets suitable for human habitation and were able to colonize them, we would in a sense become invincible. If we were able to spread ourselves out throughout the galaxy, it wouldn't matter if something catastrophic happened to an entire planet, because there would be many more planets to break the fall. We would live forever, always moving, always spreading out further and further throughout the fast infinites of space. We would probably survive until the end of time. Or mare accurately, the lifespan of the universe. Eventually, the universe will have expanded so much, and stretched itself so thin, that there simply won't be any energy left in it. The universe will cool, and as stars slowly die out it will gradually blacken. I'm sure if humans ever managed to survive until that late stage in the Universes life cycle, they will have found a way to harness the energy of a star. These dying stars would be minded for their heat and nuclear energy and we would subsist of them until the day when there were no more stars left. Imagine that. The last star in the universe going out. The last bit of light. But at least we'll be able to say that we were there to see the end. We were the ones who got to watch the end of the universe. And then what? What happens after that?
For now, maybe we should consider concentrated our time and energy in thinking about our present state, and strive to create ways to make it better. We'll get into this soon, and that is the idea that success is not only possible, but is actually the best course of action to take for you to take. It benefits you and everyone around you. It is possible to achieve your dreams, it just takes focus, concentration, and directed consciousness. Simply envision your desires within your mind and watch yourself achieving your ambitions. Set your mind and your energy to work for you. A little experiment could be interesting. Think of something you would like to get a hold of, or of a person who perhaps you haven't seen in a while and would like to see or talk to again. Keep your goal in your mind and sub-consciously stay alert to paths that present themselves to you which will take you closer to achieving your goal. If someone invites you somewhere, go with them. If you catch a persons eye, say hi to them. And one must always remember to stay open to new possibilities. Be adventurous and be observative. Pay attention to your energy as it flows in and out of you. Be conscious of what you do with your own energy and how you receive it. When it all comes down to it, it is sometimes easier to sum it all up by doing simply this: do good onto the world, and the world will do good onto you.
e.r
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