Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels’ (1848)
in their Communist Manifesto explain that the ideals in
capitalism are nothing more than, “…the dominant material relationships… which
[makes] the one class the ruling one, therefore, the ideas of their dominance”
(p.12). Those that are in the upper class control the mental and material means
in capitalist society, in order to keep the working class suppressed. This
suppression permits the ruling class to manipulate and benefit greatly from the
proletariat class. In present day society, the class system is still very much
intact. By examining the strengths of Herman and Chomsky’s Propaganda
Model, we can analyze the methods adopted by Liberal governments, in order
to sustain the control of the mental and material means, within society; thus,
highlighting the inherent contradictions created within society due to the
continued privatization of traditional media corporations. This post will
analyze the emerging roles of whistleblowers and how they, along with digital
activists, have replaced the role of traditional media corporations by posting
often sensitive information on an blog website like WikiLeaks.
Whistleblowers are individuals who
report illicit corporate activity about those in power, to the general public.
With the creation of the WikiLeaks platform, the majority of whistleblowers are
able to access a safe outlet to expose and provide global citizens with
critical information. Since the creation of WikiLeaks by Julian Assange,
multiple whistleblowers: Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden and John Kiriakou have
utilized this digital platform.These digital activists have provided an online
un-bias media source to which valuable information can be accessed.
Whistleblowers and digital activists believe, “…that information [should] not
to be hoarded but [should be] shared [with everyone]” (Ludlow, 2010, p. 25).
Since news outlets have become increasingly privatized and commoditized, they
have become uninspired and bland, and are merely covering stories that will
enhance their ratings and benefit their shareholders. Online activist groups
like Anonymous,
have become the unbiased medial outlet without any external influences, which
the traditional media outlets were created to be. These online activists have
helped take away the mental and material means from the bourgeoisie class and
aided in creating a more equal social and economic order, within society.
Whistleblowers have been around
for generations but the Internet and online platforms such as WikiLeaks have
offered these individuals a safe and effective avenue to expose their often
top-secret information. Chelsea Manning, a famous whistleblower, was credited
for saving up to 1000 lives but was also simultaneously charged with treason
and sentenced to 30 plus years in jail. She was a low-level analyst for the
military and was responsible for packaging military information that could be
used to predict trends on battlefields; specifically in Afghanistan and Iraq.
She realized that her expertise was being used for the wrong means and that the
United States military was killing innocent civilians. To her “[the] SigActs
[files] represented the on-the-ground reality of the conflicts, in both Iraq
and Afghanistan…[and that we were] ignoring the second and third order effects
of accomplishing short-term goals of missions” (Free Chelsea Manning, 2013,para. 21). Manning
initially contacted a local newspaper and then the New
York Times, but neither would take her
seriously, even though she reiterated, “ [she had] access to information…that
[she] believed was very important” (para. 23). Her struggle to be taken
seriously by formal media institutions led her to the WikiLeaks Organization,
which, “through [her] research… seemed to be the best medium for publishing
this information to the world within [her] reach” (para. 12). Manning
recognized that publishing these documents and videos would have had
irreversible personal consequences, however, she trusted “that the information
would help document the true cost of the Iraq and Afghani conflicts” (para 17).
This whistleblower’s story points to the fact that though journalism is a noble
profession, individuals that are brought into such powerful organizations, are
in fact, powerless against them. Consequently, stories like Chelsea Manning’s,
are labeled as unpatriotic and to be avoided at all costs, by those in
positions of power. The bottom line and satisfying shareholders is held at a
higher regard than informing the citizenry.
Social
and political hacktivists have replaced traditional media corporations and have
led the fight against Internet regulation. This culture has permitted
“regular” citizens to have information that governments do not want in the
hands of all their citizens. The controlling of traditional media outlets has
transformed the media into an effective propaganda machine for those in power,
rather than the voice of the independent citizen. Perhaps these digital
activists are attempting to fulfill the promise of the Internet during the
“digital revolution” and once again establish the unbiased media that informs
the citizenry. Chelsea Manning and Aaron Swartz are two examples of civil
activists who have put society’s needs before their own. The freedom of the
Internet and the increased transparency of government processes are due to the
courageous actions of whistleblowers and digital activists alike.
Work Sited:
Ludlow,
P. (2010). WikiLeaks and Hacktivist Culture. The Nation, 25-26.
Marx,
k., & Engels F. (1848) Manifesto of the Communist Party. Progress Publishers, 1, 98-137.
Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf
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