Thursday, November 30, 2006

Blogging Towards Democracy

SpiegelOnline International has a post on From China to Iran, Web Diarists Are Challenging Censors that looks at some of the dissident bloggers in China and Iran, and other similar states:

'Authoritarian states like China, Iran and Egypt are having trouble dealing with the burgeoning number of critical online diaries. These blogs, which multiply by the second, expose news about incidents that many regimes would prefer to keep hushed up. In many countries, blogs are giving people their first real taste of democracy.

The incident casts a bright light on a new form of resistance: the constantly growing online criticism of seemingly omnipotent regimes and authorities charged with upholding morals. An odd crescendo is building on the Internet, one that resembles a fast-growing series of vibrations, at times as dissonant as its many voices, but also powerful and influential when similar interests converge.'

Can resistance be fuelled by decentralised practices?

(Thanks to DB for the article)

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