Category Archives: influence

The last temptation of Al Jazeera

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

Al Jazeera’s popularity stemmed from the perception, shared by a large Arabic-speaking audience, that the satellite newscaster’s editorial decisions were not dictated by any government or party.  Under the banner of “the opinion and the other opinion,” Al Jazeera demonstrated … Continue reading →

Posted in death of news, influence, the public, tv, visual persuasion | Leave a comment

Kony 2012 and the art of going viral

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

The online advocacy video Kony 2012 can only be described as a digital enormity, breaking all records and rules.  By one measure, it reached 100 million views in six days, fastest in the history of the web.  But that’s only … Continue reading →

Posted in influence, visual persuasion | 10 Comments

The unsettling “simplifications” of Kony 2012

Posted on March 21, 2012 by

The popularity of digital platforms, particularly social media, has swept away in a whirl the traditional gate-keepers of information – journalists, scholars, politicians.  By now this is an old story, often told.  Information, once scarce, has become overabundant, and those … Continue reading →

Posted in influence, visual persuasion | 1 Comment

Homo informaticus: a theory of political influence

Posted on March 5, 2012 by

The next stage in human evolution is already among us.  This organism will never leave behind fossils or petrified footprints, because it dwells entirely in the digital universe.  Despite the lack of powers vested in me, I have taken the … Continue reading →

Posted in influence, the public | 1 Comment

Qaddafi’s hat: the lesson of Libya

Posted on August 26, 2011 by

On Monday, anti-regime forces stormed into Tripoli, abruptly ending Muammar Qaddafi’s 42 years of one-man rule.  The fortified compound where he had lived and staged his ceremonial occasions was overrun the next day.  His prized possessions were looted.  While the … Continue reading →

Posted in influence | 5 Comments

The death of Bin Laden as information and influence

Posted on May 10, 2011 by

On Sunday, May 1, an elite and secretive team of US operatives killed Osama bin Laden in his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  Many Americans, myself included, applauded the demise of the infamous promoter of global terrorism and mastermind of the … Continue reading →

Posted in influence, narratives | Leave a comment

The public and the crowd

Posted on May 3, 2011 by

Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have been widely hailed as the triumph of the public over authoritarian regimes.  Someone with a literal cast of mind, however, might arrive at a different interpretation.  Such a person would note that it was … Continue reading →

Posted in influence, the public | Leave a comment

A brief history of information

Posted on April 1, 2011 by

Information expands in sudden bursts or waves which sweep over human communities and wreak havoc with existing relationships.  If we discount the birth of culture 40,000 years ago, there have been five such waves, all in historic times. The first … Continue reading →

Posted in influence, the public | 2 Comments