Are social networks like Facebook and Twitter the cause or a symptom of events taking place around the globe? O Globo columnist Risoletta Mirand argues that despite their growing centrality to modern humanity, they are more like channels for society as it is, rather than protagonists in themselves.
For O Globo, Risoletta Mirand writes in part:
“It’s a fact that social networks are, indeed, an important way of accessing and disseminating information. With networks there is no night, no silence, no curfew, no fees to pay, and censoring is practically impossible. With characteristics like these, they are able to create what is statistically understood as a long tail – for issues that a few years ago would have gone unnoticed or simply never reach the point of debate. They provide a powerful boost, with a resonance that can shed light on the shadows of dictatorship, for example.
“But they are not the protagonists of institutional forces. Society is more complex. The means of communication and relationship building (like networks) work as part of society, also acting as its channel. And as such, they must be exhaustively used. Social networks are also very dynamic, as more people are involved in the conversation. It makes us better as a species to debate our positions with the world. In this fashion, the network serves as a perfect amalgam. To think beyond this is to write scripts of science fiction. This is a vision of today alone, because the method of dissemination is so efficient that this article, in short, may be dated. Let us see.”
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