Technology-Viva la Revolucion

In 2011, a wave of revolutions spread across the Middle East and North Africa which led to the fall of several dictatorial regimes. During this so-called ‘Arab Spring’ one of the most striking tactics were those adopted in Cairo, Egypt where tens of thousands of people reclaimed a public square and set up camp in the center of the city, refusing to move until their demands were met. It was against this backdrop that a blog post appeared on an anti-consumerist website urging people to basically ‘occupy’ Wall Street in Manhattan. On September 17, up to one thousand activists responded to this impromptu call and did, indeed, set up residence in the financial district in an effort to mimic what had occurred in the Middle East.

Although the aims of the movement have yet to be formally classified and communicated to the wider public, some voices from within the movement have been more specific. Primarily, the object of this somewhat disorganized movement was to bring attention to the wide disparity in income between the richest one percent of Americans and the vast majority (the 99%). While many other loosely-related agendas are also discussed, the focus is squarely on income inequality. Moreover, those involved in the Occupy movement are not simply protesting against the financial sector since, in reality, they are also calling for ‘structural change’ in the way the nation operates.1(p3) Without a doubt, technology played a significant role in both of these modern acts of revolution which, as this paper argues, is similar to earlier revolutions—specifically the Protestant Reformation.

Historically, the Reformation was a fundamentally religious movement with the goal of overcoming the abuses (in the Protestant opinion) perpetrated by the Catholic Church for many centuries. In part, the Reformation sought to change many significant teachings of the Church and, the relatively new technology of moveable type (the printing press) played a very instrumental role in disseminating the ideas and principles of that revolution. But, the Reformation was also motivated by a desire to remove a system that was viewed by the Protestants as structurally unfair to the poor or, more precisely, to those without the wealth and power held by the Church. Prior to the invention of printing, the organization of such a revolution was much easier, as communication was speeded up significantly and messages could be mass-produced and distributed rapidly. Similarly, the quick responses that occurred to the calls for organized protests both in the Middle East and on Wall Street were only possible as the result of technology. Organizers used available technology, including cell phones in the palm of your hand, and other mobile devices to send their messages to large groups of people. The desired impact of Reformation also was much more complex than just a rebellion against religious ideals.

A review of the Reformation reveals that the overall motivation of that revolution was a desire for freedom, and a similar goal may be attributed to the Occupy movement. In the latter case, there is a desire for freedom from government regulations which are perceived to contribute to the increasing divide between the extremely wealthy and the poor in America. Also, in both cases, the revolution was driven in large part by a relatively new technology. While it is doubtful that the Occupy movement will have anywhere near the impact that the Reformation had, the fact remains that social media and the use of other electronic devices allowed the group to organize quickly—historically fast. The same can be said for the revolutions in the Middle East (including Egypt), but the results of those movements will be very real changes in the ruling structure of those countries.

References

1. Graeber D. Enacting the Impossible: Making Decisions by Consensus. In Van Gelder, S. (ed.) This changes everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% movement. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishing; 2012.

2. Charles G N. Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe. University Press; 2006.

3. Perez P. Technological revolutions and techno-economic paradigms. TOC/TUT Working Paper No. 20; 2009.