EGYPT’S MEDIA. JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE.
When I read this article, it was clear to me I was looking
at a story within a story. Upfront, the theme was simple, was Egypt attempting
to control the media information process in Egypt? If that was all this story
was truly about, the opening paragraph would have been enough and you could
have printed this story and a 3 by 5 card! Yes. Egypt is always looking to
control the press and Egypt is not alone in the region or the world in trying
to do so. Controlling information is a timeless tool of governance. The idea of
Sisi using a military man, a General, to attempt further control, for that is
what we are truly talking about here, of the Egyptian news media, well, does
that surprise anyone?
Story in the story:
What did the Author of this article miss? What was the real
issue overlooked? Egypt already controls
a large segment of the media and as the Author stated, the state owns numerous media
outlets in Egypt. The problem is, the ownership is not working! It’s not
working in Egypt and it’s not working in just about every corner of the world
where government is trying to own, shape the message heard, seen by the rest of
the world. Oh, by the way, that same
attempt is being made by the “West” as well, it’s just a much more professional
process. Just asked George Soros about this plan to put Hillary in the White
House. Governance has seen the ability to control information as the key to
staying in power for thousands of years. The problem is, technology has made
that virtually impossible.
What Sisi has missed, and it could be he and his team know
they have missed it, is the fact that no government can completely control
social media. Yes, nations like China are taking huge steps to try to do so,
but even the Dragon cannot keep the lid on 1.4 BILLION people trying to
communicate. Even when the approach is based on punishing those who do try to
communicate, such as the Iranian crackdown on satellite dishes, it simply doesn’t
work. From the standpoint of governance, social media is the pores object known
to the Human Race. Redundant, and globally diversified, social media, in the
eyes of governance, is the gift that keeps on giving!
Control:
Is it actually possible to control information in the 21st
century? Here is the most frightening answer you can imagine. Yes! Single point of failure! Think of this from a
targeting issue. If you had to stop the ability to communicate, not just of
your enemy’s military or government, but of the people who support them or yes,
even your own people, how would you do it? Yes, I’ve heard the argument time
and time again about the redundancy of the global satellite network and I’m
here to tell you, the trust is such a redundant concept is based on hope and “hope”
is not a plan!
Satellites are they key to the human races ability to
communicate at the rate nearly everyone has come to expect. Gone are the days of
sending a letter and waiting two weeks, if you were lucky, to hear back from someone
or some group. In today’s world, the
second someone hits, “send” they are sitting there waiting on a reply. Sad, but
true! So, if a government wants to disrupt, a form of control, communications,
then where do you think they may head? The good news is, only a very few
nations have the ability to do such damage, at least for now. The real bad news
is, a few of those nations are run but madmen!
Look, it’s not new news that oppressive governments are in a
state of panic over the impact of Social Media. To be honest, even stable
governments and political parties are constantly trying to figure out how to control
what takes place on Social Media. The fact of the matter is this. The panic
button for stopping communications is not controlling a TV station or a
website. The weapon of choice will be the attack on the single point of
failure.
Egypt struggles with what its people hear and who tells it
to them. Every government in the world that seeks control of what their people
hear suffers from the same event. Every government fears the same
repercussions. In a crisis, what is a
desperate government willing to do?
As a great author once wrote, it’s a “Brave New World”.
