There have been discussions concerning the social apathy of the internet generation. Questions have been raised about why the people are not protesting and marching on the streets over a wide spectrum of social issues.

It may be that the internet generation is active socially in another manner. The reach of the internet - and social networking sites - may be far more powerful than local civil protests. The issue in Burma shows the reach of the internet and, specifically, Facebook:

“…Since its creation 10 days ago, 19-year-old Alex Bookbinder’s Facebook group, “Support the Monks’ protest in Burma,” has amassed more than 160,000 members.

The social networking page has become a newswire on happenings in the governing junta’s violent crackdown, a mouthpiece for nearly 200 discussion topics and a planning space for demonstrations from Vancouver to Hong Kong.”

link: ‘Support the monks’ via Facebook

Burma has recognized the threat of the internet and has tried to control online access. Nevertheless, information is on the internet and Alex Bookbinder’s Facebook site grows. Internet access, like this Facebook site, means that some reports are unfiltered and directly from the eyewitnesses to history. Of course, there are both positives and negatives to this dissemination of information. Nevertheless, there is no question that there is a changing paradigm of news gathering and it is happening right on your monitor.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

Tags: monks, burma, facebook, social issues, news, alex bookbinder, censorship