You Can Know A Coward by His Tools

“I must confess that I've never trusted the Web. I've always seen it as a coward's tool. Where does it live? How do you hold it personally responsible? Can you put a distributed network of fiber-optic cable "on notice"? And is it male or female? In other words, can I challenge it to a fight? --Stephen Colbert

Every few years there is talk about the death of Irony. Yet, like Sinbad’s the rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated. For that, I am incredibly grateful. Most of the people reading this either know or can guess with a fair level of certainty my personal and political leanings. That has little bearing on my appreciation of Stephen Colbert Report's dry wit. Stephen Colbert may be the best fisker outside of the internet. It is always fun to watch the public, press and pundits get tweaked. I enjoy this show most, however, because of the service it provides to me. ,

The best episodes of the Colbert Report like all really good satire remind me that the idea of infallibility has no place in politics. The paradox of demorcacy is that it is most trustworthy. When its citizens act distrustful. Sometimes, however, the authority that must be questioned are your own assumptions. That’s why the best episodes of the Colbert Report leave me uncertain as to who or what is being mocked.

An excellent example of this can be found in the sketch he did on Wikipedia. Wikipedia was clearly the primary subject of this satire. who gets to be the informational gatekeeper is of incredible relevance to everyone. Yet it cannot be forgotten that the show has an important message at its core.

Although, The Colbert Report is a funhouse mirror of cable news channels, it is still a mirror. Each show,is a satire of the way the press deals with complex issues. These issues are treated as raw material for an industry that will use the 24 hour news cycle to chew these complex issues into sound bites. Which the Bill O'Reillys and Al Frankens of the world will present for consumption. These news shows present a reality based less on facts and more on marketing and economics. Colbert spoke of information management in this sketch. This idea is increasingly less funny in a universe that according to the Pew Foundation ensures that the more you watch Fox news the less informed you are likely to be. Incidentally, This same report indicated that the viewers who are the most informed largely watched...The Daily Show. Which the parent show of the Colbert Report

So in the end who is Colbert really mocking? Those people who get their information from Wikipedia or people who get their information from News shows.

G3ND3R

Considering my interest in the convergence of the Internet and Democracy., Two articles were recommended to me recently. One had the intriguing title: The Internet is a fine place for Women. In this article, the author Charles W. Huff discusses online gender relations. He also argues that the tremendous capacity for communication provided by the internet makes it especially attractive to the female user.

The other to an article called Gender Gap in Cyberspace originally published in Newsweek in 1994 by a bestselling author named Deborah Tannen. Dr. Tannen is a well respected professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University. Much of the work she has done for both the academic audience and the general audience centers around the differences in communication between the genders. Dr. Tanner's article explains that Gender Differences in communication are responsible for her lack of expertise. This anecdote served as an illustration of the differences between the genders that serve as a stumbling block for many women who otherwise may have considered computer science as a career of hobby. This is why I am so hopeful.

This article serves in stark contrast with information that is more recent. Much of this latter information mirrors the conclusion of Hiroshi Ono and Madeline Zavodny of the Stockholm School of Economics. For the sake of context much of their abstract is quoted below:

The objective of this study was to "examines whether there are differences in men's and women's use of the Internet and whether any such gender gaps have changed in recent years."

Methods.We use data from several surveys during the period 1997–2001 to show trends in Internet usage and to estimate regression models of Internet usage that control for individuals' socioeconomic characteristics.

Results.Women were significantly less likely than men to use the Internet at all in the mid-1990s, but this gender gap in being online disappeared by 2000. However, once online, women remain less frequent and less intense users of the Internet.

Conclusions.There is little reason for concern about sex inequalities in Internet access and usage now, but gender differences in frequency and intensity of Internet usage remain.

Although, the Internet is still far from a Utopian Sanctuary. It gives me hope to realize that that is particular aspect of the digital divide is becoming less divisive.

Hiroshi Ono, Madeline Zavodny (2003)
Gender and the Internet^* Social Science Quarterly 84 (1), 111–121.

Huff, Chuck. "The Internet in a Fine Place for Women." A Virtual Commonplace. Dec. 2007. Computers and Society. 5 Apr. 2007 -http://college.hmco.com/english/amore/demo/ch4_ r3.html-.

Tannen, Deborah. "Gender Gap in Cyberspace." A Virtual Commonplace. 16 May 1994. Newsweek. 5 Apr. 2007 -http://college.hmco.com/english/amore/demo/ch4_r1.html-.

Heisenberg’s Uncertainty

Recently, both the traditional media as well as the blogosphere have made much of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's s showing in the "money primary". Many credit the freshman senator's surprisingly successful performance on his apparent comfort with a new political process.

A new political process that encourages people to use the internet to become take part in it.

Many people have heard the call and placed themselves within the process. Some have added themselves to the process through the creation of sites like Conservapedia, a website that markets itself as a Wikipedia for conservatives. Others, like the creator of the "Vote Different"ad, Phillip Vellis, use technology to change the process itself. Even blogs like those of Daily Kos ,Andrew Sullivan, Scripting News and Instapundit and even smaller ones like this one attempt to observe the process and almost like Heisenberg they change it by observing it.

All of these changes to the process encourage people to take part. Most importantly, it encourages people to take part in whichever manner they are most comfortable. Barack Obama can testify to the success that comfort with the idea of dialogue can bring. However, if you listen closely you can still hear the ghosts of John McCain and Howard Dean's 2004 bids warning to beware any magic bullet that can guarantee losing 20lbs overnight or political success.

Undoubtedly there exists an enthusiastic blogger or technologist willing to claim that this election cycle comfort with the digital dialogue is enough to guarantee success. This enthusiastic blogger, however, is willing to claim that this election cycle, discomfort with the digital dialogue is enough to guarantee failure.