The Revolution Will Not Use Facebook... (or will it?)

So I've been thinking a lot about and trying to figure out why it is that the majority of students today seem pretty passive about major political/environmental/world issues. Now you may say that it's covered in deZengotita, that it's all part of being flooded with so much information, so much trauma, that the only way to survive is to tune it out, become apathetic, so that you aren't constantly emotionally breaking down and becoming demoralized.

But I think it actually has a lot to do with technology.
For instance, in the 60's, during a war and much political travesties, there was much student activism. Sit-ins and demonstrations were the norm. In Berkeley, students were getting organized and dealing with the administration and the police, fighting for what they knew was right, getting masses of people to do something (for example sit in the street so a police car couldn't make a ridiculous arrest) to get their point across.

Now people just start a Facebook group. "Students Against The War." "Save Lincoln From Greedy Developers!"
This is all they do. No action, no nothing. With the mentality of well,-now-that-I've-shown-my-view-I've-done-something.
When they haven't.

My reasoning is that we've been told so much, through media, grown-ups, and seen through recent past that we can't do anything and so there's no point in trying, so we might as well join in solidarity by joining a group and feeling like you're not the only one frustrated with whichever issue. Because there's no point doing anything bigger because it won't help anything.

But I don't think it's because students are incapable of mass action. This is because recently when there have been are smaller issues, school wide, district-wide, PPS issues that affect students, they have shown up to protest at City Hall, march the streets, fight Vicki Phillips, et cetera. All hope is not lost.
The difference is simply that they feel there is hope in these issues becuase they are smaller. The media hasn't tried to convince them that they can't make a difference.

So back to Facebook.

Is it what's making us less motivated to fight? Or can it be used for good?

Let's look at the recent Lewis & Clark case. Quick overview: there's a man who's been committing sex crimes with many women on campus for a couple years. Finally one of them decides something must be done and starts a Facebook group, "[Guy's Name] is a Piece of Shit Rapist."
Work of The Book spreads, word of mouth spreads, eventually everyone knows, and realizes that they weren't the only one with problems or who had been hurt.
Here's where the difference comes in: A bunch of women (and some men) decide to actually meet up, have a discussion abiout what should be done. In other words, once Facebook had spread the word, and people had connected in sentiment, the issue LEFT FACEBOOK and went out into REAL LIFE and REAL TIME and had a READ DISCUSSION about what to do. (And all turned out well with the school and the man convicted.)

So Facebook was the jumping point for what needed to be done, and arguably it might not have happened without Facebook, but in the end something more was needed.

So Facebook is not necessarily a bad thing? Right? Because it helps people see that they aren't the only one who is frustrated with the President/global warming/the war, and so forth.

BUT IT'S NOT THE ANSWER. It serves as a starting point, and then something else must be done.

Quick look at other technology. Because it can be beneficial. Because communication is so much easier these days. We just have to use it to communicate, not go further away back into our own little lives, never to reappear again, and if we do only after being covered in Blobby, snotty goo.

(Don't worry, I'm almost done.)

Example- Text messaging: Now it seems like a ridiculous extension, only taking us further away from speech, even pen and paper. HOWEVER my friend Adam was in Chile several years ago when the government was cracking down on people's rights issues and radicalization. There were constant arrests as well as protests and workers' mass action, and EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, if one person was arrested by the police, or if a struggle was starting up, people were USING THEIR PHONES TO TEXT MESSAGE and tell/warn other people of what was going on. To help their fight. Making it a positive thing.

So I don't think the answer is just to ditch Justin's Bike Helmet, along with every bit of technology we own, I think we just have to be aware of how we use it. And use it to our advantage.