The shadows grow
In his book “Manufacturing Consent” Noam Chomsky talked about the role of big business in the media industry, illustrating the role media outlets have come to play in managing dissent in society and disseminating the views of only a few. The pressure that businesses can exert on other businesses is aptly demonstrated here. The process is hardly surprising but is really only part of the story.
The internet is a considerable threat to conservative forces around the world. The Chinese government is famous for its highly restricted policing of the internet, yet big business did not see this fundamental attack on free speech as any impediment to doing business with the Chinese (link,link,link). Looked at critically, the companies engaged with the Chinese are fundamental to strategic control of the internet with direct influence at the desktop, router and search junctures. Complimenting the control of internet access is an attempt to police the software components (link,link) whilst at the same time employing an army of spies to keep up surveillance on the population.
The Chinese approach is showing other governments how to do it. Whilst few governments have both the desire and ability to adopt such a blanket approach to IT, the repression of bloggers and restrictions on internet access continue. Also continuing are government laws to tighten copyright restrictions. It is worth noting that Google owns YouTube and whilst the terms of service on YouTube might technically be breached by the Egyptian blogger, the effect is to marginalise dissenting information to fringe outlets and thus limit its potential exposure. YouTube as a business needs to protect itself with such terms or run a very big risk of being sued out of existence, so risky material has to go elsewhere presumably with less of the YouTube benefits.
These events are not part of a grand conspiracy but they do reflect the general direction that big business and government are moving as they exert control over the new media world. Financial threats, control of infrastructure, laws that favour the few over the many, and repressive policing all add up to a very dark shadow threatening to eclipse the bright new technological light.
In 1922 Walter Lippmann wrote “That the manufacture of consent is capable of great refinements no one, I think, denies. The process by which public opinions arise is certainly no less intricate than it has appeared in these pages, and the opportunities for manipulation open to anyone who understands the process are plain enough.” You can get his book as an eBook from here. It might not be so freely available one day.