I'm with Jill when I say I am also slightly uncomfortable talking about politics. I'm gulity of not staying informed as much as I should and I definately need to be more aware of what is going on in the world than I am, I admit it is something I need to work on.
On another note, I found the article very interesting. The author was trying to convey that the new form of social capital is the internet as opposed to the old fashioned way of interacting face-to-face. In Zeke's story it says "the internet's information, communication, and networking power enabled Spier to discover his passion for social justice and to find willingness to sacrifice his freedom to express it. " I think this really embodies what the article was trying to get across in that Zeke not only used the Internet for finding information, he utilized it to spread the word about his cause
. "...The internet enabled him to conduct unmediated, two-way, one-to-one, and many-to-many communications with others of like mind." (99)The internet allowed Zeke to find others that felt similarly to him s--allowing them to then band together and act on those feelings in protests. It facilitated them and their cause despite possible geographic confines.
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I agree with you Kait. I thought the quotes you used were the two most telling quotes of the entire article. I think it is safe to say that the internet was extremely significant in Spier's life, and more specifically for helping shape his political views. I believe the internet was very important in this sense, however I believe that Spier was truly inspired when he was physically with these people at the protests. There is a large difference in hearing what others have to say, and then actually experiencing these thoughts face-to-face.
ReplyDeleteI too am uncomfortable about talking about politics in conversation and I, too am guilty of not being as informed as I should be but the internet is a great to get your beliefs across without it getting uncomfortable face-to-face. Some people, like me, find it hard to handle confrontation, especially when it comes to politics or religion, but the sites where you share the same beliefs will make it more comfortable to discuss, and even when others disagree, you can just write your position, give examples, and get your position across without conflict. I agree that the internet was used in a positive way to have Spier to discover his passion for politics. The internet, which its millions of sites, enables people to discover all passions and interests from politics, music, or movies and then to use these passions to spread what they believe and share their beliefs with other people.
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