Friday, February 1, 2008

Putting the Internet to Use for a Social Transformation Movement

The Internet is one key tool for expanding a social transformation movement among the youth of this generation.

Here is an article by the designer of Fred Thompson's website, used during the 2008 campaign. Fred eventually withdrew from the race, but his website was a success and functioned well.

It was used to "build a robust community that would become an integral part of the ground game," and "enabling volunteer action online". It "developed the community that could interact, inspire, and spur each other into action."

Basically it really empowers individuals to create their local grassroots support of the movement.

Taiwan's democracy movement needs to put to use all the tools it can because of the anti-democratic nature of the Chinese Nationalist Party which currently has billions of dollars in assets as well as control over most of the major television, newspaper and magazine media, which also has resulted in its strangle-hold on the legislature. Add one more factor -- the fifty years of propaganda in the still-unreformed education system that perpetuates the problems.

The only way to tranform such an in entrenched group is to create a movement to bring the values of democracy to individuals, including those who currently support and uphold the KMT. The KMT's national figureheads have not shown the ability or stomach to reform their own party.