The Square People cometh
I read Thomas Friedman's 'World Is Flat' many times, very interesting account of how the world economic order will change in favour of under developed and developing economies. He was the first person to predict opportunity and growth in the developing countries just because of outsourcing as well as an off shoot of Internet revolution. So whenever he writes any thing new I read it with lot of interest.
Now he is talking about emergence of 'The Square People' in smaller size of countries.
Before we talk about square people, I will take you back to 2004, when eminent political scientist Samuel Huntington wrote about an emerging global super of 'Davos Men' alluding to attendees of the Davos World Economic Forum - a cosmopolitan elite drawn from hitch, finance, multinationals, academics and NGOs. The Davos Men had little need for national loyalty and had more common with each other rather than the fellow citizens. The Davos Men also had the skills to disproportionately benefit from the new globalisation of the markets as well as information technologies.
Precisely after 10 years as the IT revolution and globalisation have been democratised and diffused. How it is possible, now laptops of elites have replaced by smart phones for almost every middle class person, from networking for lucky few to Facebook for all and from only-the --rich heard in the hall of power to every one being able to talk to their leaders on Twitter - a new global political force bigger and more important than Davos Men. This time in our Loksabha election, we have seen that power, even the TV News Channels seen displaying Tweets by common people side by side talking to political experts on various issues. tied an call such people as The Square People.
So how we can define them ? They are mostly young, aspiring to a higher standard of living and more liberty, seeking either reform or revolution, connected to one another either by massing in Squares or through virtual square or both. I can see emergence of Arvind Kejrival and his AAP gang as an outcome of this trend.
Now come out of geographical boundary of India, we may find squares of Tunis, Cairo, Damascus, Tripoli, Beirut, Saana, Tehran, Rio, Tel Aviv, Moscow, you may feel virtual squares behind the Great China Wall or veiled curtains of Saudi Arabia or Vietnam. the later three countries all have unusually large numbers on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube users or their Chinese equivalents, which together constitute a virtual square where they connect, promote, change as well as challenge authority. the most popular Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Quang has more followers than any government newspaper of Vietnam. In Saudi Arabia, one of the most popular Twitter hashtag is #If I met the King I will tell him. In highly censorship regime of Vietnam, media can hardly write any thing factual, 22 Million people out of the population of 90 Million are on Facebook, Vietnam's 1,00,000 students are studying abroad, a decade ago, it was only a tenth of that. All future Square People.
Social Media and Internet has given people an opportunity a tool to see how every one is living, including opportunities abroad,and corrupt leaders at home so The Square People any where will not tolerate indefinitely living in a context where they can not realise their full potential.They are the people who want that their voice is heard in every major discussion and debate not to mention better schools, roads and rule of law. So for the new government of our country has to understand that The Square People have really arrived and if their voice is not heard they are capable to create momentum and see that change takes place.
Now he is talking about emergence of 'The Square People' in smaller size of countries.
Before we talk about square people, I will take you back to 2004, when eminent political scientist Samuel Huntington wrote about an emerging global super of 'Davos Men' alluding to attendees of the Davos World Economic Forum - a cosmopolitan elite drawn from hitch, finance, multinationals, academics and NGOs. The Davos Men had little need for national loyalty and had more common with each other rather than the fellow citizens. The Davos Men also had the skills to disproportionately benefit from the new globalisation of the markets as well as information technologies.
Precisely after 10 years as the IT revolution and globalisation have been democratised and diffused. How it is possible, now laptops of elites have replaced by smart phones for almost every middle class person, from networking for lucky few to Facebook for all and from only-the --rich heard in the hall of power to every one being able to talk to their leaders on Twitter - a new global political force bigger and more important than Davos Men. This time in our Loksabha election, we have seen that power, even the TV News Channels seen displaying Tweets by common people side by side talking to political experts on various issues. tied an call such people as The Square People.
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| Costly laptops of riches to Affordable Smart Phones of Common People |
So how we can define them ? They are mostly young, aspiring to a higher standard of living and more liberty, seeking either reform or revolution, connected to one another either by massing in Squares or through virtual square or both. I can see emergence of Arvind Kejrival and his AAP gang as an outcome of this trend.
Now come out of geographical boundary of India, we may find squares of Tunis, Cairo, Damascus, Tripoli, Beirut, Saana, Tehran, Rio, Tel Aviv, Moscow, you may feel virtual squares behind the Great China Wall or veiled curtains of Saudi Arabia or Vietnam. the later three countries all have unusually large numbers on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube users or their Chinese equivalents, which together constitute a virtual square where they connect, promote, change as well as challenge authority. the most popular Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Quang has more followers than any government newspaper of Vietnam. In Saudi Arabia, one of the most popular Twitter hashtag is #If I met the King I will tell him. In highly censorship regime of Vietnam, media can hardly write any thing factual, 22 Million people out of the population of 90 Million are on Facebook, Vietnam's 1,00,000 students are studying abroad, a decade ago, it was only a tenth of that. All future Square People.
Social Media and Internet has given people an opportunity a tool to see how every one is living, including opportunities abroad,and corrupt leaders at home so The Square People any where will not tolerate indefinitely living in a context where they can not realise their full potential.They are the people who want that their voice is heard in every major discussion and debate not to mention better schools, roads and rule of law. So for the new government of our country has to understand that The Square People have really arrived and if their voice is not heard they are capable to create momentum and see that change takes place.
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