[P2P-F] Social Media and Social Revolutions: what is their relationship

[Michel Bauwens]

fyi, an editorial that appeared today in the p2p blog:
http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/social-media-and-social-revolutions-what-is-their-relationship/2011/02/02


<http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/if-your-government-shuts-down-the-internet-shut-down-your-government/2011/02/01>

Social Media and Social Revolutions: what is their
relationship?<http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/social-media-and-social-revolutions-what-is-their-relationship/2011/02/02>
[image: photo of Michel Bauwens]
Michel Bauwens
2nd February 2011

Every time we are witnessing a massive mobilization of social movements, a
social uprising or even a true social revolution, we can be sure to witness
a new round of debate between those that insist on the crucial role of
social media, sometimes even calling it a Twitter Revolution, and those
dismissing this and even warning for the dangerous role of trusting or
highlighting their use.

Here is my own contribution to this debate.

First of all, I’d like to distinguish between two meanings of the concept of
Revolution.

The deep meaning of Revolution is one of phase transition from one social
system to another, and it is important here to distinguish the long course
of history, and its sometimes explosive accelerations, when a long term
quantitative development becomes a qualitative leap.

I have not the slightest doubt that the invention of peer to peer
communication, i.e. the internet, the web and its social media derivatives,
by allowing direct, cheap and ubiquitous communication between peers, is a
true and deep social revolution, as important as the invention of writing
and of print once were. Literally, as with writing and print, the change in
communication infrastructures, the new socialization and balance of power it
permits, changes every field of social activity, not just gradually, but
eventually leading to a new social system working on different premises. But
it is important to realize that such deep phase transitions take time,
generally speaking more than one generation, though we do expect that one of
the effects of p2p technology is undoubtedly an acceleration of historical
processes.

Having said this, we are not saying that technology is the only factor, but
it is a major and important factor, with very deep social effects. Once
print was invented, the monopoly of truth of the feudal system and the
Catholic Church was broken, this is undeniable. Nevertheless, technological
affordances are part of an integrated set of change factors. We are also not
saying that new technology has only emancipatory and liberating effects. It
has some, and they are very important for social forces seeking freedom,
justice and equality, but technology is always a tool of struggle and
contention, and will be used by opposing social forces, each seeking to use
it to their advantage. But what is certain, is that a new communication
infrastructure changes the balance of forces, and has democratising effects.
If the privileged want to remain dominant, they have to seek new ways,
advance a new social contract.

Today, we can except that peer to peer communications, and their new forms
of horizontal socialization, and the new tools it offers to citizens to
organize around common value, will also have a deep seated influence on
social structures, BUT, this will take time. At the P2P Foundation, we
expect first a reformulation of capitalism, but we also expect, in about a
generation, a fundamental phase transition towards a new form of society.

Now we come to the second meaning of Revolution, as a specific political
revolution or uprising leading to a change in regime. Here also, peer to
peer media (a much broader category than social media), have an important
enabling effect, but we must distinguish different temporalities. First of
all, there is again a deep temporality, favouring horizontal socialization
and the creation of a new type of affinity communities based on shared
values. This socialization prepares for a stronger civil society, which
gradually undermines the control of authoritarian regimes whose control is
based on the use of previous forms of mass media. Yes, we do believe that in
the longer term, even as authoritarian governments learn to control and use
the internet to their advantage, that it does give more advantage to civil
society forces, who learn to extend their own autonomy and spheres of
freedom.

It is this longer process which prepares the way for the open source
insurgencies that we are now witnessing in Egypt and Tunisia. Based on that
longer process of socialization, which happened in the preceding years, this
allows at certain moment a rapid and massive mobilization of the people, who
become conscious of their power and unity, and indeed, gives them the
confidence to confront authoritarian regimes. But at the same time, these
open source insurgencies are based on common and general demands, and they
can dissolve as soon as either the goal is attained, or the battle is lost,
then reverting again to the longer term socialization processes we have just
described.

Needless to say, don’t confuse p2p media with corporate social media (though
the latter play a very important role due to their popularity), and of
course, these same media can be used for identification of dissent and
repressive measures, especially if the movements are defeated. Intelligent
use of such media is a sine qua non, and as we have seen in Egypt, even as
people learn to creatively communicate even without it, once the will to
change has been established.

But as we said, open source insurgencies can dissolve just as quickly once
the common goal, usually general enough to unite everybody, like with the
slogan, ‘the dictator must leave’, is achieved. At this point it is
important that groups have used social media on a longer term basis, to
establish themselves as real communities that can play a social and
political role. This does not necessary have to be a traditional political
organization as we have known from the previous era, but can be a movement
like the April 6 Movement, who has recognized leaders that had organized
themselves before.

In other words, no serious social movement who wants to effect deep change,
can merely rely on the quick mobilization power of social media, but needs
longer term policies of socialization and of achieving consensus around
common goals and values. It needs a staying power that social media alone
cannot provide.

Recent events around Wikileaks, Tunisia and the total shutdown in Egypt have
also given us a valuable lesson into the reliability of corporate social
media, and the internet, susceptible to government and corporate control
around choke points. This means that at all times, serious activist will be
ready not just to apply alternative digital media, but also non-digital
media. But in no way am I making an appeal to abandon social media, or the
public internet, indeed, this is where the people and the users are, and no
social change effort can be successful, if is isolates itself from the mass
of the people. Smart social change agents will have a combination of
confidential media for their own longer term internal organization, and the
judicious and careful use of social media to reach larger audiences.

To come back to the debates we mentioned at the beginning. Yes, peer to peer
and social media are deep agents of social change, and essential
organizational tools, but they must be part of an integrated strategy, that
uses both long term socialization and its short term power of massive and
rapid social mobilization. But even if we loose a battle, the deeper social
change, will continue unabated, though nobody can predict the exact balance
of power, the capacity of social control, and the new social contract that
will prevail. But one thing is sure, society, and its ruling classes, cannot
stay the same in the context of emerging p2p media, and the larger social
forces, that can benefit from further emancipation and democratisation, can
also not ignore the great potential for autonomy and self-organization, and
the possibilities to use these media to create a more free, just and equal
society.

Let’s not forget, the rulers had their own internets at least one decade
before us, and didn’t need a expanded public internet. That we now have
access to it, even under imperfect conditions and under their control, is a
profound game changer, it represents a unique opportunity and a unique tool
that we cannot dismiss and leave to our enemies. No social struggle is
conceivable today, without the right usage of p2p media. Just as the
Reformation crucially relied on books, and the Labour Movement crucially
relied on print and newspaper, so must we also rely on peer to peer
communication infrastructures as a really crucial component of any strategy
for social change.




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