internet - openDemocracy (Page 53)

They all want Monti longer... because they all fear Beppe Grillo's revolution!

In Italy, a consensus is slowly building around a second term for Mario Monti's technocratic government – but could this have less to do with national unity in economically difficult times than with political elites in a last-ditch defence against the threat of Beppe Grillo's populism?

By Giuseppe Lenzo

/ 5 Oct 2012

Media activism in the World Social Forum

'Communicate to mobilise to communicate'. The WSF has been referred to as an emergent global public sphere; however, little systematic attention has been paid to how media and communication are implicated in making it ‘global’ and ‘public’.

By Hilde C. Stephansen

/ 3 Oct 2012

Innocence of America: orientalism, hooligans and radicals

This is not a debate about “blasphemy”, about freedom of expression; this is a debate about a carefully orchestrated provocation, hate crimes and murder. Is it too much to ask that Americans be a little less “innocent” and that all the players who provoked these violent and surreal events be held

By Jacqueline O'Rourke

/ 1 Oct 2012

Global trade politics and the spectre of the public

This opening paper of the workshop, Creating publics, Creating democracies (see this week's theme) explores the elusive nature of ‘the public’ in relation to global governance and global civil society; how it is being appropriated, invoked, silenced, and excluded in contemporary politics as well a

By Ludek Stavinoha

/ 1 Oct 2012

On bullshit and truthiness: Harry Frankfurt, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Ryan's Convention speech

How do we know when someone is speaking bullshit or talking with 'thruthiness'? In the latter case this is particularly important when it comes to politicians speaking in public, because we are all involved in the resulting compact. Could this be what radical democracy looks like?

By Thomas Rodham

/ 26 Sep 2012

Google and Skyhook: the internet privacy invasion

Commercial companies are covertly using wi-fi scanning equipment to collate large databases of what in offline contexts is considered private information. With details about the sharing of this data so unclear, the government should consider an immediate ban on such technologies as the starting po

By Mel Kelly

/ 26 Sep 2012

Surf safely!

With such tech savvy, demographically very young populations, policing the internet will always be a losing battle. Instead, we should be encouraging online engagement as a source of diverse opinion.

By Sacha Robehmed

/ 23 Sep 2012

This week's window on the Middle East - September 24, 2012

Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week: Being all things to all men

By Arab Awakening

/ 23 Sep 2012

“Idiots trying to trap other idiots”

The choice is difficult: none of the alternatives easy to accept. But is it not the case that those who riot in the Arab world or in our own capitals represent only a minute fraction of the billion plus Muslims in the world? Even if many were indeed shocked by this mockery.

By Patrice de Beer

/ 21 Sep 2012

Kate, hate, and “brutal display”

The idea that any public interest is served by these choices is absurd, no matter which side of the Mediterranean one is perched.

By Amyn B. Sajoo

/ 20 Sep 2012

Apple vs. Samsung: something doesn’t quite fit!

The patent war between Apple and Samsung made a great deal of headlines over the past weeks. This article argues that both have much to gain from this big fuss, while the losers seem to be consumers and patent law itself.

By Andrea Filippetti

/ 18 Sep 2012

‘What was the true Legacy of the Olympics?’: join in the debate online

From its immediate impact on the host-city to the global reverberations, listen to the full audio recording of openDemocracy’s debate ‘Culture, Liberty and London after the Olympics’. Join the debate and help shape the Legacy of the 2012 Games.

By ourKingdom editors

/ 12 Sep 2012