Without a doubt, the social network, i.e., Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, was a major factor in the success of the revolution in Egypt in the past few weeks. People were allowed to relate to each other in a time of crisis and relay scheduled times and places to gather and protest as well as keep track of all those involved. They didn't have to rely on the news from the media—television, radio, film, etc. The whole world was watching through digital formats. Now, any head of a nation who tries to impose his will over the will of the people should be kind of nervous. Free speech now abounds around the world and nothing gets by anyone. Even if the national media of a country suppresses the facts, the truth will emerge.
This success made me wonder just how the antiwar protests in America in the 1960s might have fared if this network had have been in place at the time. Besides preventing death and injury in confrontations with the police and National Guard, could a social network have actually caused the end of the Vietnam War at an earlier date and saved thousands of lives, injuries and mental breakdowns in the process? I know, "woulda, shoulda, coulda," but still, it has to make one wonder.
In this country, we have an abundance of information flowing from all sides of the spectrum of public opinion—from the far left to the far right—and we are challenged to filter out the truth every day to discover what's really happening. We must be careful of accepting the extreme opinions as truth and use our heads to decipher the facts. When the extreme liberal view is expressed, we must think outside the box and MSNBC. When the extreme conservative view is stated, we must think outside the FOX. The whole world is watching. In the end, the people will decide and their decisions now have a better chance to work because we are all better informed. Live in the now, take it all in and believe in yourself.
Nice talking to you.
