From Peer to Shining Peer: American Hegemony and the Internet

The internet is a relatively new medium of cultural expression. It is so ubiquitous, its progress so rapid that our collecitive memory almost forgets that within 10-20 years it has colonized Western households in an unprecedented fashion. Yet, for all its apparent novelty insights into this phenomenon can be derived from historical precedent. Appreciation of the significance of the internet has not yet been fully developed, no doubt because the upper echelons of academia have not had the same level of exposure to and interaction with the internet - old people cannot approach new technology without a profound sense of unease (at least it seems from my experience). Thus, the scrutiny that has been applied to print and broadcast media has not yet been applied and certain assumptions remain unchallenged particularly concerning levels of transparency and democracy on the web.

A naive mentality, present at the early stages of the press, radio and possibly television, proclaims the supposedly 'organic' nature of the internet. Not only can everyone (who wants to) express themselves but also information can accumulate and be dispersed as if free from partiality and interference. A prominent American journalist claimed, for instance, how

"The Information Revolution is likely to democratize politics by weakening the elites’ grip on information."

A cursory glance dispels such mythology.

Firstly, use of internet requires participation in a consumerist culture that is somewhat plutocratic in nature. A prerequisite of the internet is the purchase of a computer as well as paying for connection, the former of which is self-perpetuating given the rapid obsolescence of technology. In addition, one might argue that to make a site that is of decent quality requires training - more so in years to come as complexity increases - which is not as readily available in the developing world. Whilst the opportunity for anyone to create a website is there, the majority are, of course, of Western origin, especially American, which necessarily reflect American agenda, topics and views.

Another feature of interest is the proliferation of 'astroturfing'. Astroturfing is the appearance of sites, videos or opinions purporting to be genuine expressions of 'grass roots' discontent but are produced by political or corporate organizations (hence astroturfing). Thus, media-savvy elites give their messages a facade of popular authenticity. One example is a flash video parody of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Whilst seeming to be made by some random citizen of the internet it was in face the creation of a PR agency funded by ExxonMobil. Of course, this sort of activity has been a common feature in other media (e.g. letters written to editors by 'members of the public') but a common sense skepticism of such features is arguably not present in the internet generation. Consider the 'China Bounder', a blog supposedly of an Englishman living in Bejing, who intertwined criticism of the Chinese govnerment with tales of his sexual conquests of 'easy' Chinese women. The vigilante group formed to track him down was disappointed to find out he was the creation of a few politically minded Japanese students.

Despite assumptions to the contrary some sense of governmental boundaries is still present. One might consider the censorship in China, not just in Google but also the hundreds of security staff who monitor the internet for signs of dissention. One might consider the US government's pressure to censor the .xxx domain name, setting a precedent for intervention in the running of the internet. One might also consider the US's continued control of Icann, the technology that runs the internet, despite EU, Chinese and Russian requests for an inter-governmental body at the WSIS summit. However, the recent actions by the Swedish government to close the Bit Torrent-based website 'PirateBay.org' that is perhaps the most unpalatable development.

Under Swedish law the use of Bit Torrents for file sharing is not illegal. Yet, Hollywood's main political lobbying body, the IMAA, was able to exert influence in the White House, who put immense pressure on the Swedish government to act on the copyright infringement with the threat of sanctions. The Swedish Justice Department then ordered the police (which is illegal under the Swedish Constitution) to take action, which in turn resulted in a raid on the Pirate Bay base of operations and the seizure of computers and databases. The backlash to this has led to the creation of a 'Pirate Party', which seeks to question the nature of international copyright and patent law.

This seems to be happening of its own accord anyway, with music sharing as hard to police as booze during the Prohibition Period. Certainly one website (SpiralFrog) is already preparing to give away all music in exchange for the screening of adverts. It is possible that in the future copyright legislation may change and make a virtue of a necessity. However, a darker possibility exists; America may use its economic might to bully and cajole those who do not adhere to their own conception of jurisprudence. Probably most would side against Pirate Bay if push comes to shove and they survive by means of legal anomaly, yet, this sets a precedent that may surface in another form. It is not completely inconceivable that some site that provokes the ire of America may provide an excuse for unilateral involvement, perhaps in some sort of crackdown on terrorist websites or breech of national security.

Well, it's a possibility, and I write it to illustrate my central point that the internet is not some disinterested intrument of progress and harmony but just as susceptible to manipulation as the more established media. In the past the Press helped cause wars, such as the Spanish-American War, radio and film were sued by totalitarian regimes to great effect (esp. Germany) and television helped stop a war (Vietnam), so I hope with adequate thought and analysis the internet will be used for the good of humanity, or at least not misused too much.

Note to self- polish off that last paragraph when not tired.