In terms of communication and technology, the world has changed drastically, and information can now be shared quickly and easily. E-mail is a more convenient and faster way to send mail through the internet than waiting a month for a letter. With the click of a mouse, everything may go anywhere and be distributed on the internet. In his TED lecture, Gordon Brown, England's prime minister, addresses this issue. We now have the means to disseminate information globally, with far-reaching implications. For example, when Neda, a persecuted woman, died during the Iranian elections, it drew international attention to the polls and served as a rallying point for opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the Philippines in 2001, for example, a million people texted each other about President Estrada's regime's corruption. It appears to be innocent; simply a lot of people texting about how horrible this guy is, but his rule was finally overthrown, and it was dubbed the coup de texte.
Technology has evolved into a vehicle for human expression, and the internet is a vast network that can both inspire and unite people. Gordon Brown believes we need to go a step farther. The internet has the potential to become a rallying place for people all across the world to address global challenges. When it comes to issues like global warming and famine, we can do more than merely overthrow a corrupt government; technology and the internet have the potential to end world hunger and global warming; the power of communication is immense.
However, I believe Gordon Brown primarily highlights the positive aspects of communication. While it is true that the world can be profoundly affected, this does not mean that it is just in a positive way. Terrorists and those who aim to hurt others can utilize the internet to disseminate their evil schemes. Censorship is also a problem; censorship limits the amount of information that can be input and output. Even while censorship is becoming more difficult to enforce, it is still used in nations like North Korea and China. Censorship is a roadblock to Gordon Brown's proposal, which is to use the internet to combat global issues.
For this notion to thrive, communication is essential, and censorship and evildoers are obstacles, but I believe its possible if you utilize the tools that we have made.