The rise of the 5th estate is having a huge effect on the way politicians, the media and the corporate interact with the public. Social media is a hugely powerful tool- word of mouth can make or break a business and, thanks to the internet, can travel like wildfire. Politicians, media & corporate have to own up to their mistakes and apologise to the damaged parties. To put it simply, they get called on their sh*t.
Which is great. There is no downside to keeping politicians and other public figures honest.
The best thing about the 5th estate is giving the public a microphone to help improve our world. Online activism sites are a big part of the internet and a fantastic way to educate and involve people in helping our planet. If enough people talk, the leaders listen.
That's not to say the 5th estate is all good news. Where there are true accusations, there are false accusations. And once something is on the internet, that's it. It will always be there for anyone to find. Julia Gillard is finding this out the hard way: '[a newspaper] republished a false and highly defamatory claim about my conduct in relation to these matters 17 years ago.'
The internet never forgets.
But if occasional falsifications are necessary in order to have a virtual watchdog on the politicians, media & corporate, as well as the chance to speak up for ourselves and make a stand, then so be it. Every system is flawed and why should this be an exception?
No comments:
Post a Comment