The internet is for...

As I am sure I have mentioned before I have a slight weakness/addiction for BBC documentaries. Recently I have been hooked on Dr. Aleks Kotroski’s The Virtual Revolution. Trekkie Monster, resident of Avenue Q, would do well in watching the second episode, Enemy of the State?, because he would quickly come to realise that the internet is not just for porn. In said episode Dr. Kotroski investigates how the internet can be used as a tool for individuals to “play David to the state’s Goliath”. The example that most stuck in my mind is that of Austin Heap. This young American living in San Francisco responded to the post-election disturbances in Iran with direct action. As civil unrest worsened, the Iranian government blocked sites such as Facebook and Twitter to restrict its citizens’ ability to upload information, photographs and footage of the repression onto the internet. On the other side of the globe Austin Heap sprang developed Haystack, a piece of encryption software that allowed Iranians to access the blocked sites without being detected. The story seemed to resonate with i am small THE WORLD IS BIG. As tiny individuals we can make a difference, whether big or small, that can reverberate throughout the world. Moreover, the fact that the internet had been used as a tool for empowerment is also relevant to our project. We are currently investigating the possibilities of using Twitter and Skype throughout the piece. Although the use of this technology will be somewhat reduced in February’s presentation, we fully intend to expand this aspect of the project in future versions.

You can see The Virtual Revolution by visiting http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qsbvv/The_Virtual_Revolution_Enemy_of_the_State/ And for those of you reading this from abroad (unfortunately BBCiplayer is only available in the UK), you can still find out about this fantastic documentary series by visiting http://www.haystacknetwork.com/ Finally, to learn more about Austin Heap and Haystack go to http://blog.austinheap.com/haystack-good-luck-finding-that-needle/

Pablo