A request to Dr. Baburam Bhattarai to understand the ways of the internet
People have embraced the internet so much that even in a country like ours, Honorable Finance Minister (Dr. Baburam Bhattarai of CPN-Maoist) has a Facebook profile (looks genuine so far). He (or whoever maintains the profile on his behalf) regularly updates his status. Sometime back, while I was busy with work and couldn’t catch up with news, his status updates served as a good substitute. He also posts pictures from events he attends. The most followed part, in my opinion, are the notes he posts to his profile- interviews, articles published in newspapers, political notes, and other pieces. The problem, as stated by many of his “friends” (well, facebook friends) is that he never replies (or interacts with) their queries and comments. There is a feature called “Facebook Page” that he could have used to update his “fans” (just another facebook word), without engendering expectations of interaction in them. There are other ways of avoiding interaction on the internet too. While I appreciate Dr. Bhattarai’s efforts to make use of technology at a time when most Nepalese leaders struggle to use even the basic tools, I disagree with his mode of operation.
What the Internet is NOT?
First, it is none among the printing press, telegraph, radio, theater and television. It is also not what it used to be a few years ago (called web 1.0). There are some common characters among all the aforementioned things.
- The content producers are limited, few, elites and consumers are many- the mass of ordinary people. For the mass to produce any content that could reach similar numbers and make equal impact is almost impossible.
- There is some sort of authority that controls information, either the governments or the powerful companies and/or families. Information is a privilege to everybody else, exercised at the mercy of their owners.
- They are highly centralized and undemocratic. Therefore, they have unfair advantage over others and they misuse it pretty often. The bias and influence of the media houses like FOX, especially during US elections is enough evidence. We have heard numerous stories regarding CNN’s ill motived reporting during the first and second Iraq wars.
- They have failed in informing the people. “83% of the people do not live with free press,” says the media expert Sasa Vucinic. “They don’t know what goes on in their countries.”
What the Internet IS?
Internet is a phenomenon, nothing of whose comparison has ever occurred to modern human civilization.
- Everybody is a content producer
Ordinary people, even amateurs have become superstars overnight. They have written books, produced movies, composed music and started business without the need for any publisher’s approval. They have earned millions and created masterpieces. Anybody can write his opinions and share his creations for the world to see. Nobody is elite just because he can produce content for others to feed upon. - It is decentralized
There is no single (or multiple) authority who controls the internet. The internet is a very mad system for those not used to this concept- there is absolutely no owner and control. It’s power lies in this very fact. But governments are trying to impose control and breach user privacy by introducing several regulations and acts- if they succeed, the system will fail. - It is a system of governance
The Internet is the perfect example of a democracy and values like freedom of expression and citizen rights. It has also proved to be the most effective political medium.Combine the power of Wikipedia, blogs and web services (google earth, youtube, flickr, picasa, digg, delicious, reddit, twitter etc.), and realize where the world has come to. It is self-regulatory (freedom of expression), and evolutionary (the only way to survive is to respect and satisfy the users).
- It empowers
Does this need any explaination?
To Dr. Bhattarai
Your practice smells of elitist and feudalistic values, that is soon going to be obsolete, at least on the internet. It smells of the snobbery fitting of the traditional “content-producer.” It, in no way smells of the revolutionary leader you claim to be. I assume that you might have been influenced by the internet-savvy practices of Barack Obama. I respect it to a large extent. But your disrespect for the ways of the internet, and the values it stands for disappointed me.
Lastly, the secret to internet’s success is that it thrives on the notion of sharing and collaborating, of preserving and spreading knowledge and of ethical values like freedom and respect. The internet community, the loose group of people who care for it ensure that such values are safeguarded and the structure internet remains as it should – messy, unregulated, uncensored, free and democratic. The threats from governments and corporate-tycoons are very high, but let’s hope the community will succeed, like always.
Nice post dude,
आशा गरौँ, नेताहरूले पनि यो कुरा चाँडै बुझुन् – उनिहरूका Web Secretaries बाटै भएपनि!
नेपालका केहि राजनितिज्ञहरूको ईन्टरनेट समुदायमा उपस्थिति देख्दा थोरै भएपनि आशा गर्ने ठाउँ देखिन्छ।
हालका विज्ञान-प्रविधि मन्त्री गणेश शाहको ब्लग http://gshah.wordpress.com लाई पनि एउटा उदाहरणको रुपमा लिन सकिन्छ।
-शङ्कर
memshankar
October 29, 2008 at 11:53 am
मेरो पनि एउटा प्रश्न थियो। के गर्न खोल्या होला यो Facebook मा profile ?
Ankur
October 30, 2008 at 12:22 am
Everything in his profile seems to be posted after the news is out, so there’s a great chance that the profile is fake.
Also every one doesn’t use facebook in a specific way. Some never reply back to wall posts or even to messages (unless it’s real urgent). These are college students, who have much free time than Bhattarai. It would be an exaggeration to call their practices elitist and feudalistic. So, is it for Dr. Bhattarai.
Even in facebook pages there are interactions between the creators of the pages and the “fans”. If this is the real Bhattarai, I suppose, he wouldn’t have liked the elitist notion of “fans”. “Friends” sound better.
Though this might be far-fetched, both fb and blogging are web 2.0 tools. There’s Umesh Shrestha, http://mysansar.com , who blogs about Nepal. He posts articles but seldom replies to any of the comments. However, some of his actions reflect the general voice in the comments. It might be the same for Bhattarai. And, yes the practices of both of them aren’t elitist.
davinci
October 30, 2008 at 7:04 am
I don’t think that’s the real Baburam Bhattarai in Facebook or Hi5.
And I think, our Home Minister Bamu needes to be taught about Internet. He surely is trying to clench the throats of Cyber-cafe owners, alleging that most of the crimes take place inside the internet cafes.
Buu fucking huu.
ShutUp
October 30, 2008 at 3:37 pm
bibek ji. it is a very good post. ya, i got a chance to met Dr.baburam the day before yesterday and we have a very good talk.at that time i ask about the facebook profile.he is very positive and he will reply the imporatnt comments.he ask me about these how i could reply. this is not the fake profile.it is real and updated by biswodeep pandey from onwards. tapai sabai dhukka bhaye huncha. yesma baburam sir ko dhyan aakarsan bhayeko cha.
sunil regmi
October 31, 2008 at 11:30 am
Thanks Sunil ji for the information. I feel glad to learn that Dr. Bhattarai had a change of heart.
ShutUp and davinci, the profile is real, as is evident from Sunil ji’s remarks. And as is now known, even for the profile to look real, the man has to participate there.
As for if or not such practices are common, well depends on how you look at it. I don’t really consider mysansar.com a serious blog, it is more of a news site the way its maintained. Even Tim O’reilly, Mark Shuttleworth and other famous bloggers reply comments on their blogs. If they are on Facebook or some such social network, they make sure they are only friends with their real friends and family.
When you post articles, updates, and commentaries looking for feedback from readers, I think the internet culture requires that you should answer the readers’ concerns too, the way they address yours. Dr. Bhattarai is a public figure, a national leader and one of the few among those whose is on the internet. My main point was that only mimicking doesn’t make you tach-savvy, there are some cultural (etiquette), social and political implications of using the technology and knowing them would help a leader of Bhattarai’s stature.
Cheers !
Bibek Paudel
October 31, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Gr8t Bibek..
But I have issues with leaders using internet to publish their views, yaar. The fundamentals of blogs and virtual community have been to let the people like us to post their views and be heard. From here, they get popular and then move forward to more strong media. But surely, things have been changing a lot and people like Bolloywod stars having a blog makes all things weird in the internet society.. Its like Rich Boys suddenly tring to play with the beggars..
Specialy people like Babu Ram Battarai has all the power to publish his views from books to TV to NewsPaper…So having a FACEBOOOK account…!! I don’t know how far that would be justified..? But if he is serious .about it…and hope to make a change this way……he must coem up with better ways as internet is ruled not by a single person but by the mass..
Deep Sherchan
October 31, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Thanx bibek ji , it can be in response to your blog , we
got letter from our finance minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai in facebook.
binod bhattarai
November 3, 2008 at 1:22 pm
[...] You may want to read my earlier post in which I requested Dr Bhattarai to understand the ways of the internet. [...]
Baburam Bhattarai writes an “Exclusive letter to facebook friends” « Bibek Paudel’s weblog
November 3, 2008 at 1:26 pm
To
Finnance Minister
Dr. Baburam Bhattari
Dear Mr Bhattari, let me first thank you for your greatest contribution to the country. It was your greatest vision and strategy that brought the country into this stage ” Federal Republic of Nepal. You have continously fought for this, risiking your life. But you won it at last. Congratualtion !!
However, i am very upset to see some Vigilantes that roam around you, to take an example ,i have been hearing that you have hired Krishna Raj Acharya as your economic advisor ( or the party’s economic advisor). I was shocked to see him behind you in many of the interaction programs, seminars and procession. The party also made him the CA candidate in the interim parliament.
But, i wonder how a party like CPN Maoist, and person like you made a great mistake to Judge the person. He was the greates Vigilantes that i have personally seen. He has feudal background, he was never a marxist or a maoist. He is sycophants, he changed his religion from Hindu to Christianity to earn dollars. When he was the chairman of Gandaki Noodles, he amassed huge some of money, he paid low wages to workers and made them work for long hours.
He joined UML hoping that he will get some big portfolios, even married his son with the daughter of Bharat Mohan Adhikari. But when he did not get anything he left the party.
When CPN Moaist ( Party) was in undergroud stage, he went to USA. He used to say that the Moaist want huge sum of money that is why he is leaving the country. He is petty broker who does everyting for money, he used to apply for 20 to 50 telephones with his relatives name and sell that at profit, he is engaged in land brokering buisness, export illegal thing to US. He is so cheap and corrupt. He is a petty rascal who is not eligible for anything.
Therefore, I humbly request you to be aware of these vigilantes who spoil and rotten our greatest party, that is build for the poletariate. Let’s wipe these gargbages from the party, and make our party look clean and green
Sumi Aryal
6 Dec 08 at 7:55 pm
Sumi Aryal
December 6, 2008 at 8:37 pm