The Internet Of Elsewhere By Cyrus Farivar

“The Internet is not, in fact, a seed. It does not have the ability to bring about world peace and the elimination of the nation-state, any more than the telegraph did. It is but a tool that, when combined effectively with local political and economic realities, can have demonstrably positive and often surprising effects.” (Farivar, pg. 15) Cyrus Farivar, author of The Internet of Elsewhere, eloquently and effectively states in the aforementioned quote that the Internet is not our sole and final savior; it is merely a tool, a powerful one at that, that is fully capable of providing our global society as a whole, a more prosperous and democratic state. Our evolution as humans has historically been one of natural means, through survival of the

Information is freedom; it is freedom in that it allows us knowledge to educate ourselves to our fullest potential, and with that knowledge is the remarkable and most dominant feature of the Internet, its ability to communicate that education globally in a matter of seconds. It is the combination of both these facets that makes the Internet such a powerful tool and catalyst in the 21st century and on. As with any catalysts, are the results of drastic change. Iran is a perfect example of such, in that the regions reaction to the powerful change occurring around the globe is a reaction of fear and revulsion. William Gibson said “Had nations better understood the potential of the Internet, I suspect they might well have strangled it in its cradle. Emergent technology is, by its very nature, out of control, and leads to unpredictable outcomes.” This statement describes the typical ideal of any political regime to view technology as a powerful adversary if not properly regulated and controlled. Technology can be attributed to winning almost every war; with greater instruments to attack, defend, and detect an enemy comes the enhanced ability to win the war. Governments and power holding entities recognize this fact and would most likely, if having been

Currently, “it is unclear precisely how large the Iranian ‘Weblogistan” actually is. Various estimates have put the number from 60,000 to 100,000, out of approximately tens of millions of blogs worldwide.” (Farivar, pg. 155) One of the websites used to post these blogs, is Google’s blogger.com. Companies like Google, which had it’s upbringing in the United States, can influence worldly issues simply by providing a platform to spread an individuals message. Governments like Iran, and more particularly the specific individuals who control most of the power through corrupt dealings, dislike the powerful nature of the Internet and seek to shut down websites that allow such