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22/03/2012 by
2007 views

Evgeny Morozov: Says No To Cyber-Utopianism

The euphoria about the revolutionary role of the internet is limitless. Evgeny Morozov, author of the bestselling book The Net Delusion, is interviewed in a visual arena surrounded by 9 screens, battling against blind cyber-utopianism. A documentary you might like to watch…

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In the documentary (English spoken!), journalist and social commentator Evgeny Morozov might be singing the song that nobody in the digital industry likes to hear…


But in his spirited book: The Net Delusion – The Dark Side of Internet Freedom, as well as in this docu, Evgeny Morozov shows that by falling for the supposedly democratizing nature of the Internet, Western do-gooders may have missed how it also entrenches dictators, threatens dissidents, and makes it harder—not easier—to promote democracy.

Buzzwords like “21st-century statecraft” sound good in PowerPoint presentations, but the reality is that “digital diplomacy” requires just as much oversight and consideration as any other kind of diplomacy.

Marshaling compelling evidence, Morozov shows why we must stop thinking of the Internet and social media as inherently liberating and why ambitious and seemingly noble initiatives like the promotion of “Internet freedom” might have disastrous implications for the future of democracy as a whole.

If you have seen above video, and next look at new world powers as Google and blue monster Facebook -founded by Larry, Mark and the rest of the gang- Morozov might have a point, right?

How did you experience Morozov’s vision in the video? What do you think about the growing powers of Google and Facebook?

Please share your ideas in the comments below.