Blog post 10

Slee proposes, "Forswearing "new and social media" as a category allows us to include the Benghazi radio stations and newspapers, because they are no longer outside some artificial digital boundary. It frees us up to talk separately and distinctly about blogs, SMS, and Facebook without trying to tie them together in some fake unity: each of these media have distinct architectures, different user bases, different governance models; they serve different purposes, have different interfaces to the rest of the world, and are subject to different commercial pressures."  I think this is an interesting point to make.  Although each of these types of outlets are essentially different they all serve a generally similar purpose: to distribute information to those that cannot be reached face to face.  This can be distinguished from advertisements, music and television because mass communication like that is a one way street.  Each of the types of communication listed by Slee allow for instant response, collaboration and innovation between individuals.  Slee writes "Egypt's rebellion, while of course it is unique, is not a new type of rebellion. There are parallels to other rebellions, including the use of cultural space where the ideas and dreams of a generation could be shared in a semi-public fashion, and the use of new media technology to spread the word to a wider public."  I couldn't disagree more.  The cultural revolution of the 1960’s relied on different outlets of communication in order to make change.  The work young people did in order to achieve their demands was quite different.  Neither way is better of course; both means of communication have been appropriate for the environment the changes were happening in.  Slee also makes an interesting thought by saying, “Forswearing "new and social media" would force us to drop the empty and misleadingly binary talk of "Internet Freedom" and acknowledge the sliding scale of rights and freedoms that govern individual transactions in both the digital and non-digital realms.”  Has the name “social media” become synonymous with “Internet Freedom”?  It’s difficult to say.  I know that in the last 5 years users of social media have felt more and more comfortable with sharing personal information online however I think that’s starting to regress.  The consequences of being so open online have become more serious and relatable.  Most social organizations have policies regarding social media; those not affiliated with a governing body that will guide them to appropriate social media etiquette must either take responsibility for themselves or suffer the repercussions.  I don’t think eliminating the works “new media” and “social media” will have as much impact as Slee believes.