Digital Asia and Activism

VJs and Digital Activism in the 2007 Saffron Revolution Generation

Chattapadhyay's interview with Aung delves into different forms of digital activism in Myanmar as it spans across multiple generations, as well as the dangers of using such digital tools. Aung distinguishes between three generations of activists in Myanmar, with the most recent "2007 Saffron Revolution generation" being more characterized by using digital tools for activism, particularly blogging to express what was happening within the country. These tools became dangerous in the digital sphere almost immediately, as she mentions her generation experiencing state censorship of media for the first time. Similarly, social media can be an effective tool for organizing but high media visibility can also make these activists vulnerable to being tracked down by the government. We see that censorship has recently been lifted, but serious consequences for those who criticize the government remain in place. The focuses of Aung's organization, MIDO, includes digital media and social media literacy training for high-tech and low-tech tools alike, emphasizing an interest in online and offline digital activism. Unmonitored hate speech is also another danger of social media, and MIDO addresses this issue through the Panzagar movement, which creates and spreads anti-hate messages and stickers to make the Internet a safer place. However, I am still unclear as to what is ICT?

"Burma VJ" explores digital video and video journalists specifically and their role in the 2007 Saffron revolution. There is not much room for political and social context, but we are given some context about the 1988 uprisings and how it established a consensus of fear of speaking against the state. The documentary consists of much handicam footage from actual VJs and reconstructed scenes with audio clips and first person narration voiceover by "Joshua," a member of Democratic Voices of Burma, a TV station in exile that smuggles footage out of the country where international news channels broadcast it back into Burma and the world. Regarding form, this kind of raw footage creates a very visceral and tangible fear for the viewer and also doesn't necessarily emphasize a sole icon for the movement. The shakiness exemplifies the danger of these VJ's work and risking their lives to do critical work, and raises the question: what is the relationship between journalism/digital video and activism? It seems in Myanmar, a camera has much purpose  can be a tool to fight back against an oppressive state and its media censorship. What are the limits to video journalism? However, the reconstructed parts of the documentary raise questions of authenticity especially since the director has a Western perspective. We see the documentary explore religious versus political protest, as the Buddhist monks start to protest and signify religious protest, while "the public will make it political." The imagery of the monks came to signify a specific kind of dissent that was quiet and peaceful in its opposition to military brutality. We see the DVB VJs use the online and offline media Aung mentions, using mobile phones as alternatives to their cameras. There was one part in which the soldiers shot and killed a Japanese journalist. What are the implications of his murder? The imagery surrounding him and the student protests in general reminded me of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

-Michelle

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