New technology is changing the way information is shared — the Egypt uprising started from Facebook
THE uprising in the Arab world has been dubbed by some the “Facebook revolution” because of the way the social networking site enabled activists to rally support for their cause and update the outside world on the latest developments.
Google executive turned activist Wael Ghonim, one of the key players of the “Arab Spring uprisings of 2011” that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer how the revolt started on Facebook and the Internet.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, however, downplays his site’s role, stating at the recent E-G8 Forum, a meeting for Internet governance: “It would be extremely arrogant for any technology company to claim any meaningful role in those (popular uprisings in the Arab world).” (Underpinnings of the Internet Shift, New York Times, May 29).While the Internet acted as a catalyst for the wave of protests in the Arab world, it was Qatar-based Al-Jazeera that kept the news in the limelight.
An April 9 report in The Telegraph stated that “the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings of 2011 are being hailed in Washington as the ‘Al-Jazeera moment’, just as coverage of the 1991 Gulf war by an upstart cable channel is said to have been the ‘CNN moment’ that transformed American news”.
Indeed, Al-Jazeera’s role in the Arab world upheaval is something that Dr Ali Omidi, from the University of Isfahan, Iran, will be discussing at the upcoming 5th Global Communication Association (GCA) Conference, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 18-20.The event, which is being held for the first time in Southeast Asia, is organised by Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI) together with Universiti Teknologi MARA, Open University Malaysia, City University College of Science and Technology, International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), Multimedia University and RUSS Consulting.
The theme of the conference — Global Power Shifts: Impact on Economy, Politics, Culture and Media — reflects the myriad aspects of communication.
UCTI vice chancellor Professor Datuk Mohd Yusof Kasim says the theme is relevant to changes happening in the world today.“Information dissemination used to be the domain of the so-called First World countries.
“Now, anyone with access to new technology and innovation can be principal players,” he says, citing the Arab unrest as an example.
The field of communication is also growing going by the number of institutions offering it today.
And the prospects for those entering the field are good because the courses tend to be multidisciplinary in nature.
“Using new media and technology, people can get instant simultaneous news of the latest trends in the marketplace or performance of a certain industry.” While this rapid update of information could be good for consumers and business, it could also be “dangerous” in politics where news of the outcome of an election could be leaked out before the official announcement.
While media, particularly new and social media, is a dominant talking point at the conference, other issues such as economy and business; politics; culture; and technology and innovation will also be raised.The organisers have already received some papers that discuss, among others, economic policy, foreign direct investment and the single Asean Plus Three currency plans.
There are also papers that highlight globalisation, the global image of Islam and intercultural communication.
A number of speakers have confirmed their participation including Malaysia Airlines managing director Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin, IIUM rector Professor Datuk Seri Syed Arabi Idid, as well as GCA co-founder and Purdue University Center for Global Studies director Professor Yahya Kamalipour.
The GCA, which was established and inaugurated at the Shanghai Global Communication and Development Conference in 2007, aims to promote academic research in global studies and academic collaboration among major universities around the world besides exploring opportunities and challenges in the areas of teaching, learning, communication development, globalisation, mass media and international cooperation.
The conference is likely to attract about 200 participants from academia, the public and private sectors, media as well as non-governmental organisations.
The organisers are calling for submission of abstracts, especially from Malaysian delegates.
Mohd Yusof hopes that the conference will provide a good platform for the sharing of experiences and ideas and the creation of new ways of thinking about communication and policies.
While the conference is about more than just media, Mohd Yusof acknowledges its importance.
“Media is a pillar, an instrument that can be used to uplift economic and social conditions,” he says, alluding to current events in the Arab world.
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