Internet and the social movement for a better society
In present-day, people only walk around unaware that the internet is all around them and it is a part of us in the hierarchy. Everyone has access to the internet. We no longer see it as the internet, but reality, also we see the visibility of the internet differently depending on one’s perspective. Almost everything can be conveniently done online. The politicians are even quoting things on Twitter much more when there are situations in the parliament. The internet is blended into human lives and becoming a powerful technology that has been using to run the country and society.
“This is how a difference in visibility translates into a difference in power. Those who can see can understand, and thus shape and direct the world to their advantage.” — said Bridle.
From what he stated, it makes me think back to how revolutions in society is getting harsher and more enduring, yes, the internet! Not only the government anymore that can have a connection to the internet to put on information which benefits them, but citizens have much more authority to figure out the truth on their own. We currently get the best refinement and the facts for the social revolution.
People are connected easier, and we can spread awareness faster. A lot of things have been going on during 2020. We are connected to the world’s situations at all times, although we were in the lockdown during the pandemic. We have an opportunity to join the demonstration online, speak on our opinions, or even signing petitions, though we are not living in the same country where the events occur. We use our civil rights through the internet right now that leads to the advantage of us all.
A month ago, I joined an online demonstration in Thailand about BLM (black lives matter). We were all connected with international people, no race restriction, and we were all one with the same goal for a better society and to stop racism. But why was it so powerful when we were all in the digital form? As mentioned earlier, the internet is a part of us already. It has now become an everyday tool that we use to live our lives. People get educated faster and easily about what racism is, in just a click. Even though we barely learn about racism in our Thai education, we now have easier access to the information about this.
The chaos that happened in Thai politics during the pandemic of Covid19, we, as Thai students, use the online platform to get ourselves educated and educate others about all the scenarios that the Thai government may create. Thai students aim to stand up for civil rights and need to put pressure on the Thai government. They used Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to engage everybody and generate events. It was a big wave on Twitter when the # was used to gather and catch the attention of people on the internet. It’s started with some Thai influencers and Thai social activists. It worked out pretty well, and a lot of people from many countries were also interesting in this issue. For example, Joshua Wong, the social activist from Hong kong posted on his Twitter to show his support for the fellows Thai fighting for democracy.
All the situations have shown that people know how to use the internet wisely to enlighten themselves and to be up-to-date with all the circumstances from all over the world. Those who are seen, those who are more visible, those who have a social media presence, have the power to influence people and it’s not only the government or politicians anymore who are in charge of giving us the truth. Humanity, politics, and civil rights has become very important to all of us, and if something is going wrong, we have the power to use the internet to spread the words and make more people aware of it!
