Is Julian Assange a whistleblower, activist, terrorist or hacktivist?

Question. How does a man born in Australia become wanted by the United States? Claim asylum from Ecuador in an embassy based in London in order to avoid extradition to Sweden?The answer? That man is Julian Assange founder of Wikileaks

Julian Assange "used his genius IQ to hack into the databases of many high profile organisations". So is he a whistleblower, activist, terrorist or hacktivist?

This is how I see it; he goes about his work by revealing wrongdoing (whistle-blowing), acting out against governments especially the US government in hope of making a change (activist), and he does all of this through the use of computers and computer networks, as a means to protest (hacktivist/ terrorist). 

Personally, I believe Julian Assange to be brave, intelligent, and admirable.  He possesses many qualities I associate with heroism. As well, however, he is flawed and has made some poor decisions regarding his own public image, which I think have had a seriously adverse effect on attaining his larger goal of justice through transparency.  He has, unfortunately, managed to put himself in a position that diverts attention from the work.  And the work is admirable



Sources: 
http://www.biography.com/people/julian-assange-20688499
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenberglas/2012/08/20/in-praise-of-whistleblowers-yes-even-julian-assange/

Future gaze: how might social media contribute to activism in future?

 Digital activism is empowering individuals to make some changes

The argument that social media fosters feel-good clicking rather than actual change began long before Malcolm Gladwell brought it up in the New Yorker — long enough to generate its own critical term. “Slacktivism,” as defined by Urban Dictionary, is “the act of participating in obviously pointless activities as an expedient alternative to actually expending effort to fix a problem.”If you only measure donations, social media is no winner. The Australian Red Cross, for instance, has 45,636 ‘likes’ on Facebook, more than 4,500 followers on Twitter, and a thriving blog. But just how much do online donations account for?
Here a few successful campaigns from the last year…

Kony 2012 campaign had a 30-minute YouTube that we all sat down and watched. When usually most of us could only watch a YouTube for about 5 minutes. This YouTube kept us engaged the whole time, they made it personal, and they made you feel a sense of urgency to act quickly. It definitely made me donate $30 to receive a Kony 2012 pack.   

Gay Marriage Equality - Celebrities are behind this campaign which helps get the message out a lot quicker.

The aim of this campaign was to create awareness of the launch of "Bully" a documentary on childhood bullying and to build a community against bullying. Here's how the campaign was implemented on Twitter:

They made this message very touching and personal. However, it was very strategical move to take this message to social media, where the filmmaker could truly reach the target demographic. Some might call the success of the campaign unexpected, but it was an awareness tactic that was extremely successful. It serves as a key example of how Twitter, as a network, can be used to amplify a powerful message.

Even this morning we already have have seen post being shared for the Boston bombings

 All of these campaigns have been very impressive and memorable.

The internet always plays a critical role in any idea, report, campaign. It allows us access to a lot of people. However, social media is a movement still in its early stages. Facebook launched in 2004, YouTube in 2005 and Twitter in 2006. Let's give the tools a little while to grow before we start judging them.

That entire liking, following, joining, signing, forwarding, and clicking, has a lot of potential to grow into big change.  We are now already seeing what an impact it is making on society and I truly feel it has the potential to create more awareness on important issues.

Sources: The New Yorker, Urban Dictionary, Twitter, Google Image, Mashable

Are smart phone taking over our lives?

Are smart phones taking over our lives?

 Oh yes they are!

Let me ask you a few questions…. When you wake up in the morning what is the first you do? Check your smart phone or brush your teeth?

Have you ever crashed into a wall while sending a text message?

When you leave the house the first thing you check you have is your smart phone?

What would life be like without mobile phones? In the 40 years since the very first call was made using the new technology, life has changed beyond recognition – largely by their existence. So could we live without one now? I think we have all become a cyborg with our smart phones. As now they keep us so connected with the world. You can check your emails, facebook, take photos, and get directions. Oh yeah and make phone calls!

Everywhere we go now you’ll see people looking down using their smart phone; whether it be on the train, at the park, at a concert or at a restaurant. Even children these days are being entertained by a smart phone while the mum will sit and have a coffee with her girlfriend. And we all have that family member or friend who is glued to there smart phone no matter where you may be.

And that family member or friend is a friend growing. Growing by numbers day by day since the smart phone was created. And all these people are not only now conversing in society, of information, detail and data. But does this help our society, or lead us into a false state of social friendships and lifestyles.

As Baudrillard refers to this lifestyle as a hyperreality. How many of you can say you’ve been to a concert and there will be someone filming the whole concert through their smart phone and not actually watching and enjoying the concert and living in the present.

So life lesson 101: Lets go back to basics. If were all out for dinner and our phone rings, lets bring common courtesy back. Don’t pick up the call. Remember our phones are so advanced now, after the meal we can check who called, at what time, where they were…..etc! They’re that good ;)