Howard Frederick, "Computer Networks and
the Emergence of Global Civil Society," in Linda M. Harasim (ed) Global
Networks: Computers And International Communication,
The Main Point
In this article,
Summary
…A global computer communications network
has now arisen benefiting the Common Good of Humankind by loosing the bonds of
the marketplace and the strictures of governments on the media of communications
and allowing that part of human endeavor known as global civil society to
communicate outside the barriers imposed by commercial or government
interests.
In the last decade, a new global community has emerged. This global civil society, which is neither
market nor government, can be seen through worldwide NGO (non-governmental
organizations) movements for such things as peace, human rights, and
environmental preservation.
New communication technologies, especially new computer technologies,
have sped up the ability of the global civil society to build networks and
international relations. These technologies facilitate communication among
countless national civil societies and NGO movements, and have benefited the
growing global movement for the common good.
The global civil society is faced with two fundamental problems. The
first is that markets and governments control most of the world’s information
flow. Government monopolies control a huge portion of global air waves and a
handful of powerful corporations dominate the world’s mass media. Likewise, only
a handful of news agencies around the world control most of the world’s news
flow (Mowlana, 1986, 28).
In
addition, global civil society and the NGO movements are faced with its second
problem – the growing gap between the world’s info-rich and info-poor
populations. For example, an estimated 95 percent of all computers are in
developed countries. Also, only ten developed countries that make up 20 percent
of the world’s population account for three-quarters of all telephone lines
(Frederick, 1993, 75). Even within the
To counter these two problems is the emergence of highly decentralized
technologies – computers, fax machines, VCRs, video cameras, etc. These technologies break down
hierarchies of power and facilitate communication from the top to the bottom as
well as across the globe. Among many organizations responsible for this
development, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) has
distinguished itself and its role in NGO movements.
In the late 80’s, three California Networks –PeaceNet, EcoNet, and ConflictNet, joined to form the Institute for Global
Communications (IGC), the largest computer system in the world dedicated to
peace, human rights, and environmental preservation. The IGC began collaborating
with a similar network in
APC subscribers are fully interconnected through low-cost personal
computers. Individual users on the APC’s network make
a local phone call to connect their host machine. Messages can then be exchanged
around the world. Electronic mail (email) connects two correspondents through a
computer and a modem to a host computer. Also, APC networks communicate through
electronic conferences where people can discuss any topic, publicize events, and
find the latest information.
Aside from its low cost, the system is appropriate for countries with
poor telecommunications infrastructures. File transfer between computers have a
high level of resiliency to line noise and satellite delays. This is important
for transporting large files, when there is a good chance of losing the
connection over poor quality telephone lines.
The Association for Progressive Communication has played a role in
several international events. The first impact of the APC’s decentralizing technologies was shown in 1989 when the
Chinese government massacred citizens near
The APC is dedicated to the free and balanced flow of information, and
its people work towards such issues as peace, the prevention of war, protection
of environment, human rights, social and economic justice, and the advancement
of democracy. The organization provides a low cost solution for nongovernmental
organizations and poor countries, attempts to decentralize and democratize
cyberspace, and offers an appropriate way to tighten the gap between the
info-rich and info-poor.
Summary by Jasmin Patenia