From LiveAid to Live8 - how far we've come!<< What's hot in Euro Search | Main | Virgin Atlantic podcasting travel guides >> Julian Smith | June 23, 2005, 06:39 AM If anyone needs a clear demonstration of the role that digital technology now plays in society and the ability it has to enable citizen participation, expression and aggregation on a grand scale - thus influencing the democratic process itself - then we only need look at the build up to the Live8 movement (with its march on the G8 summit in Edinburgh and numerous worldwide rock concerts) on July 2nd. Digital technology has been central to citizen participation in this movement. The only way to gain tickets to the concert in London's Hyde Park was by sending an SMS via your mobile phone. 2.1 million people texted in following Bob Geldof's call to action, making it the biggest text fundraiser ever (generating over £3 million in the process). To get hold of the ultra-trendy white Make Poverty History wristband, we are encouraged to text BAND to 87099. Online, through the main websites makepovertyhistory.org and live8live.com we are encouraged to email our leaders as well as find out all we need to know about the events! If we can't attend the events themselves but still want to make a stand we can now go to g8rally.com - to march on a 'virtual' Edinburgh!! Furthermore if we want the inside story on the real news of this global occurrence we don't need to rely on the media's distillation of events we can read personal accounts and experiences through blogs and other forms of user generated content- such as the Newsnight's correspondent Paul Mason's blog at newsnig8t.com. In 1985 at the LiveAid concert Bob Geldof famously exhorted the TV audience to "give us your f*"?cking money!" Interestingly, this time around, he is saying "We don't want your money - we want you"! To what extent do we think he would have been able to take this tack, and drum up so much support for this movement, if it wasnot for the developments in digital technologies. Online and mobile platforms are enabling us all to join in and make our collective voices heard by 8 world leaders? Powerful stuff! Let's hope it makes a difference! |