And V for Victory it is…
Dr. Michael Sosteric | Jan 23, 2012 | Comments 0
V is for victory and that’s what this was. Thousands of websites, millions of people, billions of voices all around the world spoke out loud and clear against a piece of American legislation that would wipe out the Internet as we know it. Good for the rich Hollywood producers, bad for all the millions of democratic content generators that have sprung up all around the world. After a decade of declining progressive politics, the will of the people is getting a much needed jolt to the fibrillating fibers. And the moment has come none too soon if you ask me.
Here is one for the Sociology textbooks. On Jan 18, 2012 the largest online protest in history took place forcing American legislators to permanently shelve controversial bills that would have given old world players the power to crush Internet freedom. I have to admit, I’m a critic of the superficiality and panoptic potential of social media but even I have to admit, this was impressive. You can read more by clicking any of the following links:
- Harry Reid Cancels Debate
- Largest Internet Protest in History is a game changer (really!)
- The numbers are impressive.
Now, if we could just mobilize that kind of sentiment to end poverty and world hunger, then I’d have something to tweet about.
No related posts.
Filed Under: Lead • Michael Sosteric
About the Author: I'm a sociologist at Athabasca University where I coordinate,amongst other things, the introductory sociology courses (Sociology I and Sociology II). FYI I did my dissertation in the political economy of scholarly communication (you can read it if you want). It's not that bad. My current interests lie in the area of scholarly communication and pedagogy, the sociology of spirituality and religion, consciousness research, entheogens, inequality and stratification, and the revolutionary potential of authentic spirituality. The Socjourn is my pet project. It started as the Electronic Journal of Sociology but after watching our social elites systematically dismantle the potential of eJournals to alter the politics and economies of scholarly communication, I decided I'd try something a little different. That something is The Socjourn, a initiative that bends the rules of scholarly communication and pedagogy by disregarding academic ego and smashing down the walls that divide our little Ivory Tower world from the rest of humanity. If you are a sociologist or a sociology student and you have a burning desire to engage in a little institutional demolition by perhaps writing for the Socjourn, contact me. If you are a graduate student and you have some ideas that you think I might find interesting, contact me. I supervise graduate students through Athabasca Universities MAIS program.
