On March 12, the organization Reporters Without Borders announced the first Online Free Expression Day. The group launched a 24-hour online protest occuring in nine virtual countries that have been considered Internet enemies by the international press organization.
Reporters Without Borders are an organization that works to fight against press freedom violations. The online protest was a response to online censorship and abuses throughout the world. The group noticed an alarming rate of blogs, websites, and forums being closed from the government.
How effective can this be?
The webpage designed for the cyber demonstration is very interactive. There is a flash application installed for the protest, which is well-designed and gives it some glitz but I feel like I'm in a virtual gaming system rather than a protest. Once you choose to demonstrate, you are allowed to pick from five pre-made slogans. Afterwards, you have the option to move your faceless character around the digital setting. It's really hard to take the protest seriously with the application.
I don't quite understand how this virtual protest is going to mobilize protestors to take action and make an impact. What is the desired outcome for this organization? I'm not sure a fancy application will be the catalyst for change.
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