This topic came up for a newsletter for one of my groups, I had two suggestions:
- cell phones with cameras - and more
- the new and improved Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Most cell phones come with video cameras now, giving us the ability to document events and publish them online immediately. Just about any event – both good and bad - can be recorded and distributed for public review. This has already changed the way society interacts, whether it’s politicians, police, teachers, or just friends in a pub. Before you know it, you too can see your indiscretion as a YouTube hit. We’ve lost some privacy and secrecy, but we have gained connectivity and transparency, so I suppose this is a “good thing”.
An extension of this inter-connectivity is the use of programs such as Twitter on cell phones, as a form of real time social networking. Look at how quickly people can share the current status of line-ups at various H1N1 vaccination sites, often faster that the traditional news media. Or we can share a real time report from a trial or political convention, or what Paris Hilton just had for lunch, or what we really think of our boss.
We’ve set up our own online real time news network, using our cell phones to both create and consume the media. We can also use them as a tool for social activism, sharing ideas and opinions and images, coordinating a mail-in campaign or a protest gathering. The environment protest last week in Parliament's Question Period was a ‘flash mob’ that was coordinated this way, and then quickly documented via text and video throughout the blogosphere. Eventually this content makes it way through the more traditional media, as most of them have online links for you to send in your photos or videos or news updates – no payments, but you do get a name credit.
My second suggestion - the PC's - is that they are a new alignment and combination of the political parties of Canada, changing the meaning of Conservative and narrowing the positions available in the political spectrum to other parties, while still appealing to the narrow right wing. I don’t support the PC (Politically Correct) party, but is an interesting re-invention. This blurring of the lines, coupled with decrease in transparency we’ve seen lately may be part of the reason for an increase in voter apathy, and may even change how we interact with our government(s). Or, we may look back 10 years from now and see this, like many changes, really hade very little long term impact
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