Digital Asia and ActivismMain MenuIntroductionExploring the relationship between the digital, Asia, and activismChina and Hong Kong: The Tenuous Politics of “One Country, Two Systems”Japan’s Post-Nuclear Crisis, Idols, and OtakuIndia’s Insignificant ManMyanmar or Burma?: State Censorship, DV, and CinemaAuthorsMelissa M. Chan807710a760198fde2f096a6b49e2e6d3a882ce18
Group Think and the Utility of Social Media
12018-07-18T21:26:40-07:00Jonathan Kimea1ddf99efab782d55d47cd371e4b8c9ebfd55e5305191plain2018-07-18T21:26:41-07:00Jonathan Kimea1ddf99efab782d55d47cd371e4b8c9ebfd55e5In our final week of class, we investigate the roles of citizen journalism and social media during the Saffron Revolution in Burma/Myanmar. Beginning with Chatttapadhyay’s interview with Htaike Aung, we are introduced to the historical role of digital activism in Burma/Myanmar and the difficulties they face navigating the pitfalls of new technologies and democratized media diaspora. Amongst the shortcomings discussed in this particular interview, are the collective public’s ever-decreasing attention span to digital activism (a dizzying post-modern kaleidoscope of reactions to reactions of news), the inability to regulate media visibility, the susceptibility to authoritarian censorship and the widespread propagation of hate speech and propaganda. Coming from a communications background, my greatest concern in regards to the birth of a social media generation is its implicit role in socialization that encourages individuals to organize themselves around groups and collective identities. In turn, this form of idealized groupthink not only intensifies identity politics and conflict in the digital realm but makes the collective public/publics highly susceptible to weaponized high-profile media events. Bringing this back to Burma/Myanmar, is the terrifying thought that unregulated and uninhibited communications promote sensationalism and the fracturing of a collective linear timeline. Those that speak the loudest, that say the most interesting things, will be the ones that are heard, and at the expense of real issues and real dialogue. Similarly, the difficulties of attracting international media attention are further exemplified by the documentary, Burma VJ, that, despite numerous awards and accolades, struggled to perform well at the box office due to its limited distribution – it’s widest release was in three theaters. With that in mind, can it be said that the democratization of ICTs reaps the greatest utility? Or is it something else?
12018-05-26T19:03:10-07:00Melissa M. Chan807710a760198fde2f096a6b49e2e6d3a882ce18Myanmar or Burma?: State Censorship, DV, and CinemaMelissa M. Chan9visual_path2018-08-03T05:00:24-07:00Melissa M. Chan807710a760198fde2f096a6b49e2e6d3a882ce18
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12018-05-26T19:03:10-07:00Melissa M. Chan807710a760198fde2f096a6b49e2e6d3a882ce18Myanmar or Burma?: State Censorship, DV, and Cinema9visual_path2018-08-03T05:00:24-07:00Melissa M. Chan807710a760198fde2f096a6b49e2e6d3a882ce18