Technology's Role In Revolution Internet Freedom And Political Oppression Analysis

Technology is very useful in everyday life and many people benefit from the breakthroughs that have occurred in the last century. The Internet is one of these breakthroughs that have come into existence during this time frame. It has changed the way we relax, learn, do business, and communicate. Many people believe that the Internet promotes democracy, as it is a symbol of freedom. Evgany Morozov’s article “Technology’s Role in Revolution: Internet Freedom and Political Oppression” is about the Internet and how it is used in authoritarian regimes and in the revolution of countries. Morozov argues that the Internet is perceived as a tool to help the oppressed as the freedom it grants helps to raise awareness, but in reality it is also a tool …show more content…
The popular belief is that the Internet favors the oppressed. Morozov says this belief is marred by what he defines as cyber-utopianism as the belief that the Internet is a free space combined with the refusal to acknowledge its downside. This is a big problem as naïve Cyber-utopians set out to make the Internet an unconstrained and organized area, but what they end up with is chaos. Cyber-utopians do not predict the impact of the Internet and how authoritarian governments can use it to their advantage. Dictators can now use the Internet for propaganda, surveillance, and …show more content…
Morozov states that the Internet will not have a major impact on the democratic revolution that could potentially happen. He instead believes that how the new leaders craft the new constitution and deal with old laws will be the most important aspect in this regard. Morozov then reflects on how the revolts started, as people had grievances with the government turned to the Internet and started broadcasting them. He believes that a regime’s response to a revolt does not depend on the Internet; it depends on the regime as he states that a blog or a tweet will not stop a government from pursuing violence. People generalize how the Internet works to bring change, but as every situation is different one example of how the Internet brings change does not carry over to another situation where the factors are