SANA'A, July 25 -- Journalists along with human rights activists and MPs held their 12th sit-in at Freedom Square, demanding the right to possess and utilize visual and audio media. Protesters found the surrounding area crowded with people amidst heightened security and decided to stage their sit-in ...
The Blogging Communities as a Democracy affecting Democracy The internet has allowed for sociopolitical communication and reflective propositions on a tremendous scale. People have been able to form online communities to discuss politics in real time. There are various websites that portray different elements of society and politics as well as illuminating a certain tone or overall theme within the community. It is ironic in form because these online communities are in form the literal definition of democracy as to where it is the rule of the people for the people. It is the members of these online communities that regulate and add to the ideals of their community. Moreover, web logging communities have minimized the normal media effects of political positioning and allowed for; individual and group reflections and feedback from an array of others on certain sociopolitical issues. Governmental affairs are highly discussed in web logging communities, because it is an intangible place where the individual feels that their voice will be heard. Evidently, their voices are heard indefinitely especially within their local and online communities. Noting that these communities are not only plentiful and adverse, as well as significant to politics, Alinta Thornton states in her essay, "How are Blogs affecting local politics?" The internet will contribute to, or even be primarily responsible for, a new era of participatory democracy and a revitalization of the public sphere. Apparently, Thornton holds a legitimate argument. The revitalization of the public sphere is concurrent in metaphorical or analogous participatory democracies such as web logs. There is a wide array of these sites with countless opinions and reflections on democracy. A site where there is an enormous amount of informative contribution is the website Democratic Conversation: Skepticism is a virtue located at http://www.democratic-conversation.com. Mark Beyer is a citizen logged on this site that has strong political beliefs and reflects upon the upcoming presidential primary in his article written on June 28, 2007, "Who's Next?" His article is very intelligent, cynical, and illuminates a skeptical yet liberal tone. In analysis to this representation, Beyer states: I am an artist by temperament and intellect; I look for insight in the beauty and the grotesque as beauty as ways to explore, help define, and enjoy the human comedy. This is not so difficult, as I need only look around with ears, if not eyes, open to the environment. I came to political inspection and commentary as a by-product of my literary artistic inquiry. Again, one only need read Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Joyce, Wharton, and Sun-Tsu to grasp the significance that art can have upon a people caught in desperate struggle with authority (as well as themselves). Also, I believe in democratic principles such as discussion, dissent, and freedom of speech. With articles that reflect such opinions about politics, one can be lead to believe that blogs are affecting local politics. Considering the fact that a local New Yorker has the ability to express his political views within the realm of the internet in co-ordinance with many others who not only express their views but also reflect upon others, the web log has definitely shaped a democratic influence. Thornton reiterates this point when stating: The American approach to communications research informs much of the debate and policy making surrounding the Internet. This makes an understanding of the themes in this line of theory important to any discussion of Internet as a public sphere. Conclusively, with the amount of political census data available via data mining technologies and information aggregation, politics are substantially affected by web logs and their affiliates. The needs of the people are heard and noted and it has allowed for the increase of power in numbers. Accordingly, the government must adapt to these technologies, information, and societal needs and opinions to better suit the majority. In turn, the blog is affecting technology.
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