Now we’re getting into the cumulative long-tail power of the blog versus the ephemeral, yet real-time, status update. This is getting far too interesting and varied for a comments thread.

We should continue this discussion over a few beers. That would be the appropriately ‘social’ thing to do, after all. Are you about in November?

Say ‘Hi’ to Gerri for me.

Al

I’m no expert in European history, but the French revolution did usher in a period of Jacobean terror and autocracy. Compare the experience with the more gradual democratization of England and where France and the UK are today – a very similar place.

I think we could argue that significant change was underway in both societies because of industrialization and the printing press, and that big events like the revolution were just symptoms of huge but slow underlying shifts.

I don’t think these campaigns only create awareness. They also create engagement: getting somebody to send an email – in marketing terms this is a massive achievement. An ad man’s wet dream and worth charging top dollar for.

But I do agree on this. Sustained campaigns are sometimes warranted and that without them shifts don’t get made. That often requires dedicated campaigners to keep stirring the pot.

I would like to point out however how these social technologies are making differences in places where it really matters. The Swokanele blog, that campaigns for democracy in Zimbabwe is a good example of this use of social media http://www.sokwanele.com/

In Namibia the government recently railed against a mainstream media outlet – the Namibian paper. The reason? The editor asked for and printed SMS messages on government corruption.

Here in the UK the issues are less about life and death and mobilising people is harder. Even then, I think we are witnessing a sea-change – which started long ago – in our relationship with central power and this is helped by new media.

As an aside, when I was part of the student newspaper at the University of Pretoria, we went all digital. We switched to Pagemaker and all copy was written on a couple of PC’s.

Because of this we saved massive amounts of money on our production process, allowing us to to become almost completely independent from university funding and much greater freedom to criticise an apartheid institution. Call me a romantic, but I think these changes that makes it easier for people to publish do make a difference.

More importantly, while I totally agree with your point about small steps, I’d add that the number of small steps required to make change happen often requires the level of sustained energy and focus that is absent from Twitter storms and thier like.

I’m not denying that social media has the *potential* to create change, but in each of the above cases did real & valid change really come about because of the social web or did the activity on the social web merely reflect what was happening anyway? Did we confuse mob rule and knee jerk reactions for a concensus of informed opinion?

I won’t go into huge detail as it’s all available on the web to anyone who can use Google, but I would say that anyone wondering why Jan Moir still writes in the Daily Mail despite 22,000 complaints to the PCC should read-up on the PCC’s code of practice and also on Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail and, ironically, Chair of the PCC code of practice committee.

I would also point out that no-one knew or cared about the Trafigura / Carter-Ruck injunction on the Guardian (issued way back in mid-September) until the MP Paul Farrelly decided to raise the question of it’s legality in the house of parliament. The fact that an MP was asking a question in the mother of all parliaments about the injunction is surely evidence that change was underway with the help of the twittering classes.

And as for Ian the Tube worker… most companies have a code of practice for staff and appropriate channels for complaints that don’t require public outcry to create swift results.

The only thing that these cases truly demonstrate is that social media can raise awareness, and that people like to get angry for short bursts. We still have a long way to go before we can demonstarte that this type of outrage-fuelled awareness can drive the sustained actions required to create valid change.

I agree that the public could flit between rows, but even then change came because in each of the incidents mentioned above.

Trafigura – parliament is debating the UK’s libel laws and we all now know about the Monton report and some at least about its content.

Jan Moir – my bet is the Daily Mail would be careful – at least for a while. And the PCC has made an exception to their normal policy which mandates that only the family could complain.

Tube incident – Ian was suspended. You can bet that many Tube officials will now be a more careful.

Real change often happens in small steps. Bastille style revolutions are often Pyrrhic victories.

I don’t think we should underestimate the changes we are seeing.

The notion that the Jan Moir incident was orchestrated is hilarious – if only we could engineer such debate and excitement to order!

But I do have to wonder just how much a storm on Twitter or Facebook really affects the status quo. Re-Tweeting a message of disgruntled opinion hardly equates to storming the Bastille. And when news travels at the speed of Twitter, who amongst us can sustain the passion or interest it takes to make change happen, when there’s a new & exciting row brewing over something else today?

I’m not jaded, but as someone with a vested interest in society’s opinions & passions, I’m Just skeptical of how much bite exists behind the bark.

The notion that the Jan Moir incident was orchestrated is hilarious – if only we could engineer such debate and excitement to order!

But I do have to wonder just how much a storm on Twitter or Facebook really affects the status quo. Re-Tweeting a message of disgruntled opinion hardly equates to storming the Bastille. And when news travels at the speed of Twitter, who amongst us can sustain the passion or interest it takes to make change happen, when there’s a new & exciting row brewing over something else today?

I’m not jaded, but as someone with a vested interest in society’s opinions & passions, I’m skeptical of how much bite exists behind the bark.