I recently read a news item that a Chinese city has suspended plans to build a chemical plant after a wave of cell phone text and online messages generated strong opposition to the project. This is an interesting use of technology in a country where free speech is not always allowed and protests are difficult to organize. The fact that a seemingly trivial thing such as SMS can mobilize a whole city is amazing.
Some claim that the most important activist technology of the last five years is the mobile phone and it is a phenomenon also taking roots in Pakistan.
SMS is already wildly popular in Pakistan, one reason being its relatively low cost compared with a phone call cost. When political news strikes on issues like the Lal Masjid affair or the Chief Justice controversy, many people first hear about it through SMS messages. Jokes and one-liners about such events are also immensely popular. But has anyone in Pakistan created a movement based on text messaging?
I do see some signs of technology- driven activity there. The Nirala Sweet incident is one example, this was spread in Pakistan mainly through SMS. Recent Mobile Virus Scare in Pakistan also falls in this category where calls and SMS contributed to the panic. However there is not much there in the form of focused campaigns.
The use of online videos from Pakistan is definitely increasing in popularity, though sometime it is for propaganda purpose. Some of it may be cell phone videos. I am sure it is only a matter of time before we see a lot of political activity on the mobile phones in Pakistan.
Related Resources: Here’s a recent article about mobile activism and a website for civic engagement using mobiles.
Here’s a bit more about the China case. According to Xinhua, nearly one million text messages were sent protesting the plant’s construction, eventually forcing the government to capitulate. Despite intense government controls, China’s Internet and cell phone texting remain a freewheeling space. The Xiamen texting highlights the use of a new medium to spread a message in China. Already, Chinese mobile phones are used to send text ads. The city’s reversal is one of the most visible cases in China whereby texting — which is harder to block than Internet messages — was effectively used to quash a government initiative.
PHOTO CREDITS: Clicking on the photos will take you to their parent webbsite.
Babar Bhatti is a Telecom professional based in Dallas, Texas. See more at Babar’s blog: State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan.
I think SMS has now becme a nuscience in Pakistan. Even in teh midle of meetings, of conversations people are typing away at teh small phone on SMS looking silly and actually insulting evryone around them by doing this
Shehzad – I may agree with you on the SPAM effect of these SMS’s but I believe I see potential when one looks at Twitter.com which is fully available in Pakistan. At Twitter you subscribe to a specific channel based on the information you would like to receive and hence forward you get messages from that specifc channel only, unsubscribing whenever you want. In effect controlling SMS marketing to a great extent
At the moment Pakistan is based on a one-to-one sms activism which is remarkable and has the potential to spread like wildfire as seen in Earthquake relief and other places. But can you envisoion a network armed and ready for one single message to spark a cause.
One must have to accept that managing this network must be done with extreme care as there will be a chance of misuse if entrusted in the wrong hands but the option of unsubscribing will definteily keep things in check. When I did stumble across Twitter I saw there was literally NO CONTENT for Pakistan and took the initiative to set up a few Pakistani content areas.
If interested have a look at the blog post I made a few weeks back which also includes the various channels available for Pakistan
Twitter in Pakistan
Im not too optimistic, soon mobile activism will turn into spam and chain letters and scams similar to what happened with email.
If sms messages alone could stall a project, it is surprising. The Jessica Lal case in India was re-opened when SMS campaigns were accompanied by newspaper, electronic media and emails, not sms alone.
SMS messages also creates panic in society. Messages like ‘All Muslims are not Terrorists but All Terorists are Muslim’ and similar hatespeak depicts the abuse of the sms for disrupting harmony in the society.
the first instance i recall of of a textual revolution was the philiphines where the middle class mobilised against one of their presidents and the demonstrations were text organized.
I suspect the use of mobile phones has played a big role in the CJ affair..unfortunately I also suspect iot’s increasing use by extremist bomb makers.