For Class on 3/6: Regulation and Internet Freedom

Internet freedom is a broad concept that affects all internet users and is modified by political forces and corporate forces alike. Much of the debate surrounding internet freedom comes down to a first amendment issue surrounding speech online; who can create it, who can read it, whether it should be limited, and if so when and how should this censorship take place? We are living in a remarkable time where the web and web based applications and devices are used by the vast majority of all Americans but the regulation of this activity is relatively nonexistant. This regulatory void is filled mainly by corporate rules regarding content primarily by content providers like google and apple. After reading the MacKinnon chapters please comment on the reality of internet freedom today and how it may be increasingly threatened in the future. What are the benefits of internet freedom and potential problems caused by it? Should policies be implement to guarantee internet freedom (such as net neutrality) or should we allow the market forces to work as they will on the marketplace of ideas and products that is the internet?

For Class on 2/27: The Wish List

This week we will be talking about various strategies to govern using web-based tools as well as the concept of open government. The themes of government transparency and interactive communication with elected officials will weave themselves through our discussions. For this week's blog I don't have a specific question, instead I would like you to describe what would you like to see in terms of government officials or agencies use of new media in governing or in communication with American citizens. These tools could also come from private or nonprofits (see the sunlight foundation and opensecrets.org for some great examples). In other words, what is on your wish list? Think about what would be most useful or most helpful for us as citizens and feel free to think about this creatively. What could or should happen to maximize the openness and responsiveness of our local, state, or federal government using the internet or web based tools? If you find useful tools or examples please share them. Hopefully together we can come up with some great suggestions and who knows, maybe we will need to start a petition on the We the People site or change.org to see if we can get some support for it.

For Class on 2/20: Weak Ties vs. Strong Ties

Social and political movements have been created and carried out by people from every corner of the globe for any number of reasons. Today some argue that movements for change such as the Occupy Movement in the U.S. or the protests of the Arab Spring are driven by the internet and social media in a way that creates more potent and powerful movements. Others make strong arguments that this is flatly false. This week I would like you to read a fascinating New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell entitled "Small Change," originally published in October, 2010.  This is one of my favorite articles that we will read all quarter as it combines two of the themes I feel most passionate about. In the article Gladwell compares the motivations of those involved in the civil rights movement (and specifically the sit-ins, which emerged in Feb. 1960) with modern day digital revolutions. He argues that they are fundamentally different because of the strong social ties motivating civil rights activists and the weak ties connecting those using social media today. After reading the article, do you agree with Gladwell? Does social media create weak ties and is it fundamentally different from and inferior to the social bonds that drove the nonviolent civil rights movement? Why or why not?

Feel free to provide other examples to support your argument and please react to one another so you create a good online dialogue.

For Class on 2/13: Evaluating Online Organizing

There are many ways that organized interests try to disseminate information and gather support. This week we should evaluate how effectively some of these organizations are using new tools toward these not so new political goals. I would like to focus particularly on interest groups for this week. Several interest groups representing various corners of the political spectrum are represented below. Take a look at these sites and then comment on 1) what they do well or poorly, 2) how similar or different they are, and ultimately 3) what you would recommend as these groups continue to try to expand their fundraising and member base. Keep in mind that most of these organizations have existed for decades and have transitioned into the internet era, the one exception is moveon.org which was created to utilize the power of the internet to organize in a more modern way.

AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)
AIPAC
NRA (National Rifle Association)
Moveon.org
The Christian Coalition
The Sierra Club