Simulacrum? That is SO 20th Century!

Global Winds & Local Waves

Part 1 of 5

A University of Melbourne Edublog assignment

under the Freshman subject "Globalisation"

Passed with High Distinction (H1)

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27 Aug 2010, 6:23 PM by Benjamin L** C.Y. (Last edited: 28 Aug 2010, 4:07 PM)

Our browser window is a doorway into a cyber universe the ‘meta-globe’ of the 21^st Century. It’s characterized by mass participation on purpose-built platforms such as Youtube and Facebook that come under the portmanteau nomenclature “Web 2.0”. Youtube is perhaps the quintessential Web 2.0 platform: agents, commercial or recreational, can broadcast and define themselves using videos made through various technologies. It’s where the physical and digital worlds converge. Calling Web 2.0 a simulacrum is an understatement for it isn’t merely a simulation of physical reality – it is an extension of our social world.

A person’s online presence can affect his/her corporeal life. Consider the case of Zee Avi: a Malaysian singer/songwriter whose rise to fame started with recreational music videos posted on Youtube that came to the attention of Bushfire Records, a records company that flew her to Los Angeles, USA, to publish an album now ranked #9 by the Associated Press for the best albums of 2009. It is “a true 21st century tale of the way the Internet has … shrunk the globe in the process.“ (Zee Avi's official Bio).

But it isn’t all fun and games in an age where major political parties that tout similar policies – “moving forward” – in different Orwellian Newspeak. We may feel politically disempowered, even apathetic. Web 2.0 addresses that. Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, released 77,000 classified US State Department and Pentagon files regarding the on-going Afghan war. The UN Security Council – tasked with ensuring international territorial integrity – is silent and powerless because the USA has veto powers as a member of the P5.

Assange has ingeniously succeeded where global governance has failed. No government can touch him. He is an Australian citizen, the Swedish Web hosting company PRQ hosts the files, and the plaintiff is the US government. As Baldor (2010) writes:

“… [A] Threat to release more classified Pentagon and State Department documents is raising difficult questions of what the [US] government can or would do, legally, technically or even militarily to stop it.” (Baldor, 2010)

The documents may not stop the war, but Assange has demonstrated that private citizens have a new form of uncensored political power. Mahatma Gandhi would have been proud!

In sum, Web 2.0 is not a mere simulacrum – it interacts with ‘traditional’ reality. I know we all have a lot of reading to do (*groans~*) so here’s Zee Avi to brighten your day :o)

Reference

Baldor, C. (2010) What to do about WikiLeaks? Not much can be done. Associated Press hosted by Google. Found via the AP iPhone application, URL expired.

2 responses to: "Simulacrum? That is SO 20th Century!"

Christie S********* wrote:


Sun, 29 Aug 2010, 10:16 PM



What Julian Assange said makes me wonder if the government will seek to have tougher control over the internet in the future. Or if that is even possible as it seems there are many loopholes in the way it is constructed and the laws over ownership.


Benjamin L** C.Y. wrote:


Mon, 30 Aug 2010, 9:43 PM



Yea I agree with you. Anonymity and international accessibility are two key features in the cyber landscape. Unless there is an international consensus (conspiracy!?) between governments, unilateral censorship is pretty useless because there are so many ways around it. It seems that the internet is becoming a viable political too though - it'll be interesting to watch it's evolution in coming years :D