The Revolution Will Be Digitised - An Opinion

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 27 September 2012 12:14:26

Investigative journalist Heather Brooke's book The Revolution Will Be Digitised  was released in hardback in August 2011, it was published in paperback this summer with an afterword added which explained where some of the stories which had emerged during the writing of the book had gotten to at that point.

It is written in a narrative style which is overall easy to read and importantly opens up discussion in the public square to all, not just the privileged gate keepers. This is in keeping with the themes of democracy, open access and freedom of information which are central to the book. Yet at heart it is also, in many ways, an interdisciplinary academic text. It explores ethics and the ethical questions raised by the spread of digital technology and communication. Politics and social movement theory are also covered particularly with the description and discussion of hacktivism it contains together with the discussion of the introduction of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative there is also a sub-strand of the book relating to Julian Assange which looks at the development of power and celebrity. Theology is even in there, all be it briefly and via an explanation of why we may believe in the power of the interventionist state or people like Assange to protect or free us. There is also an interesting exploration contained within it about the nature of journalism and the role of the journalist.

All of that in just 251 pages and that gives us the first criticism of the book, it perhaps tries to cover too much in an easy to read and digest amount of space. The chapter on Iceland was particularly frustrating because it was fascinating but too brief and it didn't fit neatly into the ongoing story. Yes certain key characters reappeared later but the dominant narrative in this chapter, the democratic reconstruction of Iceland/ "kitchen sink revolution" following the banking crisis, was left hanging. It led me this morning to the Icelandic Government Website  which is really interesting and easy to read, in line with the values of transparency and accountability which the book discusses.

The ethical issues relate to freedom of information and the availability of and use of our personal data by corporations. Brooke interviews Google and Facebook amongst others and also focuses heavily on the activities of Wiki leaks to open up discussion on these issues. She appears to come from the left libertarian perspective warning of the way we need as few laws and as much self-regulation as possible in order to protect ourselves from governments who would use such laws to silence dissident voices. She explains how back doors which companies build into their sites and the long term storage of data, as well as the ability to monitor IP addresses mean that we have far less privacy in the digital age. Reading through I didn't understand all the technical stuff but I did understand there are huge and very complex ethical issues which impact us all being discussed.

The book was framed in the language of rights and whilst there was discussion of responsibility it was somewhat limited. This is something which worries me alot and which brings in the theological aspect for me. (note this is where the straight review ends and the post changes track into abit of a rant)...so you may wish to stop reading here.

On page 237 Brooke writes, "We seek a saviour, someone to rescue us from the problems of this world. A saviour is a simple story, the easy option and that is why we find it so compelling. You don't need to do anything but believe. There's no need to negotiate with other people, or figure out how to create a robust system within the bizarre and contradictory parameters of human nature."

This portrayal of what a saviour is and the black and white view of life it gives has been dominant within aspects of the church, as well as beyond it. Yet, I believe to take this position is to deny the true power and nature of salvation, certainly within Christianity.

Jesus' life, death and resurrection is all about that messy task of negotiation and trying to figure it out. Belief in a saviour who freely chose to follow a path which he knew would lead to death by an oppressive regime and a religious system which was colluding with it after engaging in a ministry which was threatening precisely because it was seeking to work with different groups in society and challenge the existing norms and values gives us a responsibility to engage in similar acts of thinking and acting beyond the restrictions which those agents of socialisation and the state seek to impose upon us. Belief in a saviour who then rose again, showing that oppressive acts of repression can be overcome in unexpected ways and in the end because of that good will triumph over evil and a new society based upon a totally different way of being, doing and thinking will emerge requires courage and an ongoing willingness to think and act differently in our relationships with others. In short belief in a saviour requires discipleship and that is not simple or undemanding.

Relating that back to the book and the discussions within it is not simple, or easy and requires ongoing discussion and thought within both the secular and Christian world and environments. One aspect that worries me within the Christian arena is that these discussions appear to be going on at structural and academic levels but not at grassroots levels. There is a need for all of us to wrestle with what this means, rather than waiting to be told what it means for us.

The Christian discussions of rights, freedoms and responsibilities needs to develop to reflect the reality of the digital age. This will mean we need to see the biblical texts being referred to again and new studies written for example. To take one example alongside reading this book I was reading and discussing with others the New Testament book of James. This book talks about the need to be people who do things as well as just listening to things. It encourages us to be active, seeking to engage in those difficult situations which Brooke is arguing those with a saviour easily ignore. It then goes on to talk about how we judge people on the basis of appearance. In the world of social media, what does that have to say to us about how we judge and behave towards people on the basis of their profiles? James 2 v. 6 talks directly of the way the rich oppress people through the use of the courts. More importantly in James 3 it contains a discussion on our words and the impact of them, in a digital age there are huge discussions to be held around this relates to our use of electronic forms of social media and communication. In chapter four there is a discussion of issues which can be used with the contents of the book to give an explanation of exactly why Julian Assange is acting in a way which makes him an enemy of God (and of many of his former colleagues). It comes down to his pride and desire for pleasure and reputation as well as his inability (according to what is in the book) to humble himself. Finally in chapter 5 it talks about how rich oppressors will be judged. In a modern context that might be read as why the corporations and those who are trading in information at the expense of others need to be held to account.

**Note here: as this is my personal blog I feel it's ok when I go off on a bit of tangent and rant like this because it is letting out what is in my head. **