The new power of mass communication

On the day after Christmas last year, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, for the first time ever, went on China National Radio to discuss contemporary issues and problems facing Chinese citizens. In what otherwise seemed like quite a normal event, Premier Wen, also for the first time ever, allowed listeners to communicate with him directly via SMS and "micro blogs," the Chinese answer to Twitter. In real time, listeners were able to communicate their fears, concerns and well-wishes directly to the Premier.

In the wake of the Wikileaks controversy, many people are talking about openness in government, drawing parallels between the technology that enables Wikileaks to operate and the medium which can enable governments to be more connected to their peoples. In developed nations such as the United States, the demand for the use of technology to increase transparency of government processes and to promote communication with constituents has already forced politicians to take note: U.S. President Barack Obama, on his first day in office, pledged to spearhead a "new era of openness" in American governance. Among other improvements, the White House's official website now offers users streaming video of going-ons within its walls.

The essence of these kinds of services, ideally, is a well-informed public that, directly or through representation, makes policy decisions. Now, while top leaders in the US are incandescently cracking down on Julian Assange and other so-called "hi-tech terrorists," it is interesting to note that, in such an otherwise sensitive time, China seems to be embracing forms of new media to further incorporate the needs of the people they are obliged to serve.

The Chinese people are no doubt in need of a voice. As food prices around the world continue to rise beyond record highs, as global climate change continues to chill the countryside, with housing prices relentless in their magnitude, arguably few people are feeling the pinch these days as hard as are many Chinese. Premier Wen, in an opening comment, clearly laid out his thoughts on the landmark government use of new communication technologies:

"Because this broadcast can deliver the party's and government's messages to the masses in a timely fashion, I also hope it can be used to deliver the demands of the people to the government in the same way."

China, both throughout ancient and modern times, has long been a top-down controlled society. A strong, centralized, bureaucratic government emphasizing social stability has, despite a patchy (and, no doubt, tumultuous) history, done well for Chinese society. Orders come from the top and are expected to be executed with little or no question. To be sure, a lot of criticism from the West is directed at this approach to governance, sometimes regarded as oppositional to the forms of government that many Western countries cherish.

Of course, it is hard to dispute that all governments in one form or another are "top-down" when they feel threatened, for the very state that professed the heralding of a "new area" is now fostering calls for action of questionable legality against the head of an organization that, if for nothing else than a exhaustion of patience, apparently has taken "openness" into its own hands. That is what makes Wikileaks and the idea of using the Internet to foster communication between governments and peoples so compelling.

A recent and alarming example of the dangerous potency of technology in the hands of leaders is the recent shooting massacre targeting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tuscon, Arizona. Many have already shifted blame towards politician Sarah Palin and her website (which as of now has been removed), Takebackthe20.com, which nominally refers to the 20 congressional districts which are currently governed by elected representatives, no doubt Palin's political enemies for, in the words of the website, "disregard[ing] the will of the people." On her website, symbols which, without a doubt, represent rifle crosshairs are superimposed on these very districts on a map of the US. Each crosshair is linked to information about that representative. A text banner ominously hangs near the top of the site: "We've diagnosed the problem...Help us prescribe the solution."

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was one of these representatives and the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, held extremely paranoid, bizarre and nonsensical ideas concerning politics, religion, economics and "mind-control," as evidenced on his self-made videos which he uploaded to YouTube mere weeks before the shootings. Considering the volatile political climate in today's America and the widespread and easy access to firearms, Palin's offensive, wanton neglect of responsibility and abuse of communications technology to risk the incitement of violence is appalling.

Technology has long been called a double-edged sword and the wide-reaching capabilities of mobile devices and Web 2.0 are certainly no exception. Within an instant, messages can be delivered to millions of people around the world. How these messages will be used is still being determined each day but, if one thing is clear, the effects are powerful, unprecedented and, therefore, unpredictable.

Another concern is how these methods can be used to deceive. Doubtless the messages directed to Premier Wen were probably pre-screened before being relayed to him on the air. This practice is also staged in the West. For example, the audiences of televised debates during the 2008 US Presidential race; pre-screening and planting audience members and feeding them questions to be asked live on air was not uncommon. As media forms change, people must become more vigilant and savvy in order to scrutinize the true meaning of communications.

Either way, it is definitely a positive step for the Chinese government to be better connected to its citizens. The biggest problem facing governments is the lack of understanding of the needs of the people. The stated mission of the CPC (Communist Party of China) is to carry out the will of the masses. Let's hope that the technology of the new century can amplify and clarify their interests.