tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153845628469776909.post4715407011199478051..comments2024-03-24T09:13:28.758+00:00Comments on The Plashing Vole: I'm so cutting edgeThe Plashing Volehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13021407602157515927noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153845628469776909.post-48025243107593325082011-01-25T20:18:36.751+00:002011-01-25T20:18:36.751+00:00Talking of Mr Uppal, he asked a cracker of Theresa...Talking of Mr Uppal, he asked a cracker of Theresa May today:<br /><br /><i>Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton South West, Conservative)<br />Can the Home Secretary do anything to address the issue of the internet, which is having the effect of radicalising young people on both sides of the political spectrum?</i><br /><br />That damn internet! <br /><br />I had a little <a href="www.cartermagna.blogspot.com/2011/01/we-must-stamp-out-internet.html" rel="nofollow">Uppal bash myself this evening</a> as it had been a while. Hope you don't mind me stepping on your turf Mr Vole!cartermagnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00333414341785767838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153845628469776909.post-81057864554181944602011-01-19T13:39:20.077+00:002011-01-19T13:39:20.077+00:00I think that you have hit the nail squarely on the...I think that you have hit the nail squarely on the head by saying that the truth lies somewhere inbetween. The internet will provide many tools to protest but it will not solve all the world's problems.Benjamin Judgehttp://benjaminjudge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153845628469776909.post-56778754544557047202011-01-18T22:44:50.103+00:002011-01-18T22:44:50.103+00:00I think its a really interesting topic, one which ...I think its a really interesting topic, one which would certainly make a very nice piece of social research.<br /><br />My gut feeling is to go with the opium of the people arguement. People feel that they've done something by joining a facebook group, but is this just channeling resistance into a harmless conduit which only rarely achieves results?<br /><br />My own crystal ball says that governments, politicians, corporations et al are also (or will be) waking up to the possibilities of social media and developing much smarter tools for infiltrating it and influencing it. When they crack it they'll have all the resources at their disposal to drag power back from individuals.<br /><br />I suppose one way of looking at it is to use the music industry as an example. In theory the net makes it irrelavant as bands can now promote and market their product without any label involvement, but the industry has developed canny ways of operating. It also operates subtly, launching an act like Little Boots the other year and Jessie-J this year into the underground on a platform like you tube and using bloggers and the like to spreading the word and create a buzz. By controlling key points of strategic influence on the net(just like the British empire controlled the worlds shipping lanes with places like Gibraltar, Singapore, The Falklands and so on) the industry can control traffic and opinion. <br /><br />I really wouldn't be surprised if next election there are a lot more 'grass-roots' activists planted across the social media by the major parties.Neil80https://www.blogger.com/profile/07327090565101437836noreply@blogger.com