China has the dubious distinction of being one of the most controlled information environments in the world. Yet even China’s army of censors can at times have trouble staying on top of the vast sea of communication that flows through the Internet. The most recent challenge to government control is microblogging sites like Twitter, which produce a prodigious volume of output. Twitter itself is, of course, outlawed by the Chinese government, which created a number of internal Internet services, like the popular Weibo microblogging service. Ironically, that has now proven difficult …
Political and technological changes have a history of going hand in hand. Technology empowers individuals to overcome their isolation and connect to share ideas, information, hopes, and dreams. The most recent phenomenon in this long history (which dates back at least as far as the Gutenberg printing press) is the Arab revolt that has swept the Middle East since last December, brought on by a generation of cell phone and social media users. How to deal with this phenomenon—and how to help steer it toward a pro-democratic outcome—are challenges for …
Since the launch of Facebook in 2004, social media use has skyrocketed. Facebook has more than 750 million active users, and sites like Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr are quickly following Facebook and growing into cultural phenomenons. It is hard to imagine a day without sending a few tweets or writing on someone’s wall. Social media has become a crucial part of how we interact with our friends, community and even run our cities. Governments are starting to take serious notice and incorporate social media into their own day-to-day actions. With …
President Obama takes a break from the debt-limit talks to deliver a speech before the National Council of La Raza — a group that has served as an important bridge for Obama’s administration to the Hispanic community. Don’t expect Obama to deviate from the typical White House line when it comes to pitching Latinos that government knows best, says Israel Ortega, editor of Heritage Libertad. UPDATE: Read about the level of coordination between the White House and La Raza in today’s Daily Caller. On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, Speaker John Boehner …
President Obama made history yesterday by becoming the first President to tweet live at a nationally televised event. But does one tweet – or even a complete Twitter townhall — mean the President is truly communicating openly and fairly with the American public? The Twitter Townhall hosted by Twitter and the White House yesterday was a botched attempt to suggest that President Obama is truly reaching out to everyday Americans on their level. Judging by the small selection of questions — one of which came from Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), …
President Obama takes questions later today at the first-ever Twitter town hall. This high-profile event is yet another example of the White House’s embrace of social media to communicate directly with Americans But behind the scenes, there’s another story unfolding about the Obama administration’s use of Twitter. For some White House staffers, it’s a way to bully critics and promote a liberal agenda. In fact, that’s one employee’s job. Jesse Lee is the White House’s director of progressive media and online response. It’s his job to rebut bad news about …
Which country has the most Internet users? No, it is not the United States, as cyber connected as we are in this country. The correct answer is China, with 446 million users by the end of 2010, according to “Freedom on the Net: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media,” recently published by Freedom House. At the same time, China also has the highest number of imprisoned cyber dissidents of any country in the world and one of the most restrictive Internet environments, “characterized by a sophisticated, multilayered control …
As the Internet is used increasingly in Russia, the Kremlin is fighting to maintain control of Russia’s new media. According to a poll conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) one in four Russians go online daily and nearly half of these web users go online for the purpose of checking the daily news. According to Eurasian studies expert, Paul Goble, access to the Internet reduces the ability of the Russian powers-that-be to control the messages the citizenry receives. Therefore, Moscow is considering adopting draconian …
Internet outreach is the hottest new item in the U.S. government’s array of public diplomacy tools. While international broadcasting is in disarray, the focus has moved to Internet outreach through social networking and websites to promote America and its allies abroad. The Internet can be a great tool for the advancement of freedom and the empowerment of individuals. Yet it is not immune to the designs of state actors, nor does it exist in a policy vacuum. After having tangled with China over its internet censorship policy, Secretary of State …
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UoSvb8yYwI[/youtube] Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a newly minted freshman from Utah, brought his laid back, candid style to Heritage at Tuesday’s blogger briefing. Chaffetz won his seat using social media and demanding fiscal discipline from Washington. We have to adhere to the Constitution, to fiscal discipline, to limited government, accountability and strong national defense. We weren’t actually executing on those. More and more you started asking people about fiscal responsibility and they wouldn’t necessarily associate Republicans directly with that issue. It’s because they had been fiscally irresponsible on that issue in my opinion, and I argued to …
