2008 Woodie Awards
Blogger challenges audience to use technology, take action
April R. Ford
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News
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New technology can make it possible for individuals to bring change to their culture, said the founder of one of the nation's largest political blogs Wednesday night at the Willard J. Walker Hall auditorium.
"Today we finally have the technology and the spirit to press for real change," said Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Web log Daily Kos, a highly-partisan political blog that gives thousands of Americans a place to voice their political opinions.
In the past, Moulitsas said, culture has been controlled by media conglomerates and gatekeepers, whom he described as "self-appointed, so-called experts" who tell people what to do, think and believe.
University faculty, editors, publishers, producers, political party elites, music labels and movie studios were all included in Moulitsas' list of gatekeepers.
Before technology, in order to be an active agent in the culture, it was necessary to gain approval from those gatekeepers, Moulitsas said. He spoke as part of the "Difficult Dialogues" project sponsored by the Ford Foundation.
But Moulitsas questioned the validity of the gate-keeping mentality and asked the audience if they were truly satisfied with the direction the nation is heading.
"This system was built to guard entry against those who question, those who demand change and those who would want to find new and creative ways to meet the challenges facing our country," Moulitsas said, who is co-author of the book "Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics."
However, Moulitsas added that he still had hope because of the opportunities provided by new technology. Communication and networking tools like YouTube, MySpace and Internet blogs have given people a way to get around the gatekeepers and think for themselves, Moulitsas said.
"Unlike the generations before us, we have unfettered access to the world," Moulitsas said. "We're the first generation that can bypass the overall gatekeepers to communicate directly with the masses."
"Today we finally have the technology and the spirit to press for real change," said Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Web log Daily Kos, a highly-partisan political blog that gives thousands of Americans a place to voice their political opinions.
In the past, Moulitsas said, culture has been controlled by media conglomerates and gatekeepers, whom he described as "self-appointed, so-called experts" who tell people what to do, think and believe.
University faculty, editors, publishers, producers, political party elites, music labels and movie studios were all included in Moulitsas' list of gatekeepers.
Before technology, in order to be an active agent in the culture, it was necessary to gain approval from those gatekeepers, Moulitsas said. He spoke as part of the "Difficult Dialogues" project sponsored by the Ford Foundation.
But Moulitsas questioned the validity of the gate-keeping mentality and asked the audience if they were truly satisfied with the direction the nation is heading.
"This system was built to guard entry against those who question, those who demand change and those who would want to find new and creative ways to meet the challenges facing our country," Moulitsas said, who is co-author of the book "Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics."
However, Moulitsas added that he still had hope because of the opportunities provided by new technology. Communication and networking tools like YouTube, MySpace and Internet blogs have given people a way to get around the gatekeepers and think for themselves, Moulitsas said.
"Unlike the generations before us, we have unfettered access to the world," Moulitsas said. "We're the first generation that can bypass the overall gatekeepers to communicate directly with the masses."
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