There is one last quote from the Spier which I would like to talk about
“While the internet acted as the networking tool to bring the activists together from across the country, the face-to-face meetings and the formations of affinity groups were the essential step in forming the community that would act as the one on the street. Strong arguments are made by those who believe there can be no “out of body” community, that it could not have formed exclusively on the internet. It is impossible, they say, for people to form communities if they do not or cannot interact face-to-face in shared public space. There must be actions between them involving discourse, contracts, promises and shoulder-to-shoulder heavy lifting.”
I really like this quote because it shows how Zeke used the internet to supplement his actions, not replace them. Zeke knows that the real action, the action that would help change the world was not done over the internet, but in real life. Instead Zeke used the internet as a tool, to learn research issues, talk about them with like-minded people and then organize so you can be effective when you meet up in real life. While the author in this situation says that it is impossible for a community to form purely on the internet, I believe in our previous readings and discussions we have debunked that idea. Instead I believe that while real communities can form purely on the internet, those same communities are made much stronger with additional face-to-face interaction.
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I agree that the internet does not help to achieve actual real-life reform. Rather, it sparks ideas, and helps people who may not understand or agree to understand and agree. We've discussed this before but, the fact that Zeke looked at the internet as a real-world tool, rather than a substitute for the real world, is exactly how I think the all internet users should view the internet.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the Internet is most beneficial when it is used as a tool to organize or inspire some sort of action. I don't really think that anything can happen purely from online interaction but it can be used to make meaningful contributions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone here. The real action were the demonstrations against the World Trade Organization in Seatelle, 1999. Internet technology facilitated the kind of communication that needs to go on if people are to organize for social action. Social action online might be something like barraging a government office or official with several million E-mails (or tweets).
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