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THREAD: Been thinking about book bans, threats to ban YouTube and registration of VPNs, etc. in Pak.
These are simply attempts by the status quo to reassert its monopoly over information.
They will fail, because a 19th century system cannot win against 21st century disruptions.
These are simply attempts by the status quo to reassert its monopoly over information.
They will fail, because a 19th century system cannot win against 21st century disruptions.
For decades, nation states have sought to control what society thinks. Some, like Pakistan, have pushed this idea to its limits more than other nations. The outcome is that many Pakistanis end up viewing the world with what someone once described to me as "green-tinted glasses."
With these glasses, you view the world as conspiring to weaken Pak, with collaborators at home seeking to weaken the "fortress of Islam." In this context, it is imp. to prevent the enemy's "nefarious designs" by controlling info flows and seeks to build walls to protect the fort.
Today, a digitally-native generation can access information as it sees fit. This doesn't mean that a young person will by default refuse to wear the "green-tinted glasses." The internet creates its own issues when it comes to shaping views.
But it threatens the state's ideology.
But it threatens the state's ideology.
The state is responding. It sees these emerging info systems as weapons in "fifth-generation warfare" that if left unchecked, will destroy the very foundations upon which the "fortress" stands upon.
This is nothing new - the Ottomans banned the printing press for similar reasons
This is nothing new - the Ottomans banned the printing press for similar reasons
I believe this tug of war will continue. The state will continue to find ways to maintain its hegemony and assert itself to control information flows.
But ultimately, it will lose.
Why? Because a 19th century system cannot withstand 21st century disruptions for too long.
END.
But ultimately, it will lose.
Why? Because a 19th century system cannot withstand 21st century disruptions for too long.
END.
Here’s a view into how the status quo sees these shifts: “Maybe a purge in rank and file is the calling. Local hitmen must be targeted.” https://nation.com.pk/19-Jul-2020/sixth-generation-warfare?version
