Editor's Comment

We are grateful to Onan Musoy for providing details in his essay below on social networking as a tool for advancing the world revolution. The term "social media" refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Its ubiquitous technology has blown wide open the ability of ordinary people to communicate with one on another matters ranging from entertainment to politics. It's also well-known now that intelligence organizations like the CIA, MI6 and Mossad are using it to "monitor," i.e. spy on the private lives of users. The imperialist regimes have also invested in social networking to advance their own agendas, overthrow governments and co-opt revolutions against them as they have done in the falsely-named "Twitter Revolution" in Egypt - a revolution that really began with the hard work of organized labor. (See Revolution Without Facebook) But social media activists spread the word.

But as Onan Musoy points out, social networks have become a threat to some of the very people, governments and organizations who have helped build them. Social media is not meant to replace nor will it ever replace feet on the street in mass demonstrations. Rather, it compliments and helps organize them. The most intriguing phenomenon about social media is how the people have seized the weapons of social media and are using them to advance a worldwide revolution against imperialism, in the tradition of Che Guevarra. One marketing site foolishly says,

"People are talking about your organization, whether you know it or not. The Communists were not following any discussion on Twitter or social media, and were completely caught off-guard by the protests. The best way to find out if someone is talking about your company on social media? Use social media."

Little do they know. President Hugo Chavez is a good example, using all social media platforms to advance the new world revolution with at least 2 million following his Twitter account alone. That we are battling in a media war against imperialism and the capitalist system is a given but as media guerillas, our application of social media tools are now woven into the fabric of the peoples' revolt. In his essay below, Onan Musoy explains how it works.

- Les Blough, Editor

Chatting for Change
by Onan Musoy

Perhaps, dear reader, you are aware of Occupy Wall Street in New York City and similar movements occurring in sister cities in both the U.S. and other countries at Occupy Together which have manifested this autumn, inspired by the Arab Spring and its utilization of the latest technology of social media to organize public demonstrations to protest against the lack of democracy in their nations.

Perhaps you desire to participate, yet due to geographical circumstances, commitments to the survival of you and your loved ones, or simply reluctance, your physical presence cannot occur. Nevertheless, a door to democracy in the digital world stands open for you. Some cities' Occupiers are making available Livestream transmissions where you will currently find a dozen and a half such sites broadcasting a reality-based alternative to the MSM.

At any given site, you are offered the choice to enter the process through Facebook, Twitter, or Livestream itself. Yours truly, never much of a joiner and heretofore not signed up to any website requiring registration, broke his/her personal rule for a cause no less greater than changing our world and opted to select Livestream and its chat room which accompanies the video feeds. Some locations are often offline with resulting low participation in the chat room; others already dedicated to continuous feed suffer from periodic breaks as the ground crews work tirelessly to work out the bugs.

At this time, two sites in particular are worthy of special mention. The New York site, at the vanguard of the U.S. movement, attracts relatively large viewers and chatters, so much so that the Livestream chat room scrolls at a pace deserving the name Livetsunami, making it virtually impossible to absorb the input, commentary, and information of its contents. Meanwhile, The Los Angeles site, with its fewer numbers, provide its chatters with an optimal number of fellows and scroll-speed to make for meaningful dialogue, debate, and participation.

At these two, and any other, sites which permit remote viewers to be privy to the democratic developments within General Assemblies, any electronic device user can input into the process. Often, Occupiers sit down to face the camera and chat room scroll and answer questions posted seeking to illicit facts and opinions as to what has, is, and will transpire.

Chatting provides an opportunity to share slogans, affirmations, and other concise ideas, for example: "corporations are not people money is not speech" or "purchase only what you need buy no luxuries." As well, you might be the one to answer a question that someone else has put forth, or serve to encourage the direction of a group decision.

Social media is a tool which was not in the shed in the '60s and it is now being used to bring people out of isolation and amplify their voices while providing a forum for discussing the spectrum of multiple systemic issues. Whereas anti-war, civil and women's rights were the focus 40 years ago, today's issues are all-encompassing. Social media also has the vast potential to further interconnect this global People's Movement, both nationally and internationally, thus creating an ongoing network blessed with the work of protecting both people and planet, as well as serving to trump the corporate media's narrow-minded and pre-fabricated agenda.

All in all, the entire experience offers an unparalleled natural high that can quickly become an addiction, to which this writer can attest. If you are one who has only recently or for many a year longed to have a voice in the course of humanity, feel free to join the digital democracy expressing itself alongside the brave souls on the physical front lines and become a citizen of a "...brave new world, that has such people in it!"

Onan Musoy resides in Northeastern United States