Australian Prime Minister: Social Media Is Like Electronic Graffiti
from the accelerated-and-intense dept
Here on Techdirt we've been reporting on a depressing stream of really bad legislative proposals coming out of Australia concerning copyright and surveillance. Much of this seems born of ignorance: some senior ministers clearly do not understand how the Internet works. Sadly, that includes Tony Abbott, Australia's Prime Minister, as this report in The Age indicates:
"I'll leave social media to its own devices. Social media is kind of like electronic graffiti and I think that in the media, you make a big mistake to pay too much attention to social media," Mr Abbott said on Australia Day. "You wouldn't report what's sprayed up on the walls of buildings."
Interestingly, this isn't the first time he's made that comparison. Here's what he said in March last year:
"The thing about social media is that it is anonymous, so it can be much more vitriolic and extreme than normal media and yet it is there for everyone to see. It is kind of like electronic graffiti. The political process is accelerated and intense in a way that I don't believe it ever really has been before."
That acceleration, and the loss of control it implies, probably goes a long way to explaining the fear and loathing that many leading politicians display towards digital technologies -- and not just in Australia.
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Filed Under: australia, social media, tony abbott
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Real meaning
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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
You would if it happened to be more accurate and factual than what's being reported via 'traditional' media, and you actually cared whether or not you are reporting what's true.
He and other politicians may try and dismiss social media and non-traditional forms of media, but the reason isn't that they have some unpleasant characters, you can find those everywhere, including traditional media. No, what causes them so much annoyance is that social media is uncontrolled. It's not one person telling many the facts and that's the end of it, it's many people presenting and discussing the facts, finding out where those facts are false, and pointing that out too.
It's much harder to get away with a lie or misdirection when you have hundreds, if not thousands fact checking everything you say, and that's the main reason politicians hate social media and the emerging 'new media' if you'd care to call it that, because they don't control it, and more often than not it ends up pointing out where their claims fail or are flat out lies.
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Re: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
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You really don't want to have the 'normal' media to do an article on your campaign, or your latest proposal, and have most people talking about it calling it your latest propaganda piece.
It's just the sort of thing that tends to make life more difficult for you.
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While the olden days lacked the amazing sharing of ideas we see today, it also lacked the amount of death threats and abuse politicians would have to take.
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Appeal to authority much?
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Obviously they do not frequent pubs, where they have been cursed, and proposals for their fate have been suggested for as long as men have been drinking. Social media is just making them more aware of how well respected they are by their electorates.
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I have no idea. I'm just going to go with the general sense that PM Abbott believes commoners should keep their opinions to themselves.
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Worst PM in Australian history. If only this video was not a parody. It sadly is all true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IaKVmkXuk
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Not the worst -
The job is now up for grabs. His days left in Kirribilli House are numbered. He has raised the angst of his own backbench, his front bench are circling like vultures.
Unfortunately, none of the current front bench is any better as a replacement. The opposition parties are also no better.
In other words, as a nation, we're going to hell in a handcart. We are starting to out-race the USA and UK for the title of worst run government.
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"Social media is kind of like electronic graffiti..."
What a yokel.
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Banksy.
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Feral Parasites don't understand technology nor people.
What to do? Cant root, shoot or electrocute it.
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http://ancientgraffiti.wlu.edu/
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Consider the previous government and he appeared to be better then they.
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anyway, some context for the non-Aussie readers: In the last referendum on the matter, a little under half Aussie voters voted for Australia to become a republic (the other half either voted for Australia to keep the UK monarchy or voted against the particular model on offer). Abbot recently reintroduced the knighthood into Australia to some scorn and derision. He then decided that the most worthy Australian to receive the title is the UK queen's spouse, in a move even his right-wing, Murdoch press commentator supporters have denounced as stupid. Not surprising, then, that the electronic graffiti is running hot with the electronic writing on the wall.
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None of them are willing to stand up to the ridiculous bureaucracy that we have in this country (at all levels). They encourage waste at every level and then we the people are left to pay for it all by their theft of our hard earned wages. They all appear to be weak-kneed MIAH's.
I am disgusted with all of them (of every party and affiliation).
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Huff and Puff and Blow Your House Down
Social Media: Politicians Are Like Opportunistic Inane Blathering Windbags Keen on Securing Power For Themselves At The Expense Of Their Constituents.
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When you cannot control it, you either shut it down or ridicule it
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You are being managed
"Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence."
In order for this mantra to be repeated ad infinitum by even the wisest of men, it is necessary that those in leadership positions appear always to be ignorant fools.
By appearing to know nothing about the things they have been charged with repairing, those in power can never be blamed for purposely screwing the public over.
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Re: You are being managed
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Re: Re: You are being managed
... repeated ad infinitum by even the wisest of men...
Odd then how they are always smart enough to fool the public year after year after year into electing them to office, often repeatedly...
Almost as odd as the fact that every one of them for centuries has been exactly as "stupid" as the one before, with nary a single smart one ever showing up in all those years.
Looks like the ploy works perfectly, if you're representative of the general public.
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Re: Re: Re: You are being managed - addendum
I guess only stupid people can become millionaires eh. :)
Never attribute to incompetence that which can be explained better by malice, when it comes to politics.
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