The long 4th of July weekend is upon us and thoughts naturally turn to the reason behind the holiday.
This holiday commemorates the United States' declaration of independence from Great Britain in 1776, an act considered brazen by many at the time, given Britain's overwhelming military superiority. It also brings to mind other similar acts.
The Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821 is celebrated on March 25. This began only a few decades after the Americans and perhaps the planners of that war had been heartened and influenced to some extent by the success the Americans ultimately enjoyed in their bid for independence. What I found interesting was the utilization of the media of the day to generate support for the Greeks among the European nations, a fact which ultimately helped lead to the intervention of Russia, France and the United Kingdom on the side of the Greeks against the Ottomans.
In the last few months we have witnessed what has been termed by some the Arab Spring with demonstrations and rebellions taking place in various Arab world nations. What has been interesting has been the utilization of social media by the protesters, to coordinate their activities, generate global support for their causes and provide transparency into the responses employed by the various governments, even when news reporters have not been present.
Ultimately the lesson we can glean is that people don't like to be constrained and they will seek ways to become independent from whatever constrains them. The tools they choose to use are what they have on hand and what they find to be most effective.
In today's world, social media are powerful indeed and they need to be employed by those seeking maximum effectiveness in their quest for independence from whatever is boxing them in.
I wish all my friends a happy Independence Day, however I also want to remind them to "think before you tweet".
This holiday commemorates the United States' declaration of independence from Great Britain in 1776, an act considered brazen by many at the time, given Britain's overwhelming military superiority. It also brings to mind other similar acts.
The Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821 is celebrated on March 25. This began only a few decades after the Americans and perhaps the planners of that war had been heartened and influenced to some extent by the success the Americans ultimately enjoyed in their bid for independence. What I found interesting was the utilization of the media of the day to generate support for the Greeks among the European nations, a fact which ultimately helped lead to the intervention of Russia, France and the United Kingdom on the side of the Greeks against the Ottomans.
In the last few months we have witnessed what has been termed by some the Arab Spring with demonstrations and rebellions taking place in various Arab world nations. What has been interesting has been the utilization of social media by the protesters, to coordinate their activities, generate global support for their causes and provide transparency into the responses employed by the various governments, even when news reporters have not been present.
Ultimately the lesson we can glean is that people don't like to be constrained and they will seek ways to become independent from whatever constrains them. The tools they choose to use are what they have on hand and what they find to be most effective.
In today's world, social media are powerful indeed and they need to be employed by those seeking maximum effectiveness in their quest for independence from whatever is boxing them in.
I wish all my friends a happy Independence Day, however I also want to remind them to "think before you tweet".
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