INDIAN OCEAN
1. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster was documented in an emotional and compelling way by citizen journalists equipped with mobile phones and cameras. A tsunami eyewitness participated in the relief efforts by providing SMSs to a blogger in Mumbai, who posted them on the Internet.
Bloggers also used the web to coordinate relief and round-up charities. The World changing blog reports that within 12 hours after the tsunami disaster, a communications consultant in India worked with Indian bloggers to create The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami blog. This was a blog for resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts. The blog had over 21,000 visitors and 30 contributors in just 24 hours.
2. In recent times, online lobbying has played a vital role in changing legislation. For instance, in 2002, in the UK, a campaign objecting to the government’s so-called e-snooping bill was begun online. Thousands of the British sent faxes to their MPs registering their disapproval. Within 48 hours the government abandoned their plans for the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
3. The spread of the computer and net culture has led to the growth of online activism and citizen intervention. The paper ‘Appropriating the Internet for Social Change’ by the Social Science Research Council clearly shows, through examples of online publishing, online collaboration and online mobilisation that civil society is moving beyond borders with the help of networked technologies. Organizational, cultural and geographical borders have been crossed with data, ideas and emotions flowing fluidly through cyberspace. Electronic networks have become the platform through which civil society operates.
4. There are many factors that make the Internet attractive for campaigning. These include its speed, global and local reach to numerous users, low publishing costs and round-the air clock access. The information available online allows the public to be more informed and articulate in expressing their views about public affairs, and more active in mobilising community affairs.
The famous World Trade Organization (WTO) protest in Hong Kong in 2005 is a successful instance where online activism complemented street protests. Many Indian NGOs like Action Aid, India, provided the latest news from Hong Kong through their websites. This facilitated a diversity of opinion amongst the protesters. The web and e-mail were used to build up a corpus of research, criticism and opinions about the WTO.
5. According to a study ‘Democratic Divide’ by Pippa Norris from Harvard University, “The Internet will reconnect people to the political process by helping them become more informed citizens, by helping representatives become more responsive to citizens, and by engaging more people in public policy debates.”
6. The Internet also plays an important role in challenging authoritarian regimes as it tends to break down barriers erected by government censors. The book ‘Networks and Networks’ states that 45 countries restrict the citizens’ access to the Internet by forcing them to subscribe to state-run Internet service providers which filter out objectionable sites. However, this has been only partially effective and activists have found ways of slipping information past the controls.
7. The Internet has emerged as an effective tool for activism, especially when combined with other media like broadcasting and print. It benefits individuals, small groups as well as well-funded organisations. With more than 60 million Indians online and growing, e-activism is entering a vibrant stage in India and is here to stay.
Word-Meanings
Para 1. 1. equipped (adjective): prepared 2. blogger (noun): a contributor to a blog 3. blog (noun): a website set up to allow users to share opinions and discuss many topics in the form of an online journal allowing readers to post their own topics. 4. disaster (noun): an occurrence that causes great damage or loss of life 5. contributors (noun): those who help or support a cause
Para 2. 1. lobbying (verb): to try to influence the actions of the government to support or oppose a change in law 2. vital (adjective): important 3. instance (noun): example 4. campaign (noun): movement 5. abandoned (verb): gave up
Para 3. 1. activism (noun): use of vigorous campaigning to bring about a change 2. intervention (noun): interference 3. mobilisation (noun): to work together in order to achieve a particular aim
Para 4. 1. numerous (adjective): many 2. articulate (adjective): clear 3. complemented (verb): completed 4. facilitated (verb): expedited, made easy 5. diversity (noun): difference 6. corpus (noun): a large collection
Para 6. 1. authoritarian (adjective): favouring complete obedience to authority 2. regimes (noun): administration 3. censors (noun): checks 4. filter out (verb): sieve out
Para 7. 1. emerged (verb): came out to be 2. effective (adjective): powerful 3. tool (noun): means 4. vibrant (adjective): lively and full of energy
Questions:
1. Choose the correct option:
(a) What made the UK government abandon the plan for a new legislation?
(i) Pressure from print media (ii) Opposition pressure
(iii) Online lobbying (iv) People’s protest
(b) What has emerged as a powerful tool for activism?
(i) TV news (ii) Print media (iii) Dharnas (iv) Internet
(c) Where was the World Trade Organization protest held in 2005?
(i) Hong Kong (ii) Tokyo (iii) New Delhi (iv) New York
(d) The book ‘Networks and Netwars’ is about—
(i) use of the Internet by 21,000 visitors in just 24 hours.
(ii) restrictions imposed by 45 countries on their citizens’ access to the Internet
(iii) war on the Internet by the government censors.
(iv) spreading democracy to reconnect people to the political process.
(e) The word ‘vibrant’ means ……………………
(i) trembling (ii) shaking (iii) moving (iv) full of energy
(f) The antonym of the word ‘diversity’ is:
(i) regularity (ii) uniformity (iii) freedom (iv) love
2.Answer the questions briefly:
(a) Where has the spread of computer and the Internet culture led to?
(b) At the time of the tsunami in 2004, computer proved to be a miracle. How?
(c) What factors make the Internet attractive for campaigning?
(d) According to the study ‘Democratic Divide’, what changes will the Internet bring about?
(e) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following:
(i) calamity (para I) (ii) giving up (para 2)
Answers:
1.(a) iii (b) iv (c) i (d) ii (e) iv (f) ii
2.(a) The computer and the Internet culture has led to the growth of online activism and citizen intervention.
(b) At the time of the tsunami in 2004, the news of the disaster was immediately transmitted by a blogger in Mumbai. Bloggers used the web to coordinate relief and charity. Within 12 hours the South East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami blog were created, as a result of which, people came to help immediately.
(c) The Internet is attractive for campaigning because of its speed, global and local reach, low publishing costs and round-the-clock access.
(d) According to the study ‘Democratic Divide’ by Pippa Norris from Harvard University, the Internet will reconnect people politically, socially and culturally and help them to become more informed citizens. Through it more and more people will engage in public policy debates.
(e) (i) disaster (ii) abandon
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