Why we need the Net now more than ever

In all the gloom of the news coming out of Japan, in the aftermath of the tsunami and feared nuclear reactor meltdown, there appeared an uplifting report about how one desperate plea for help got heard.

The mayor of Minamisoma (a city which was left ravaged post the earthquake and tsunami, and the inhabitants forced to keep indoors so as not to absorb radiation leaks from a damaged nuclear plant close by) appealed for assistance because his fellow residents now faced both isolation and starvation.

In desperation, he appealed not to rescue volunteers or to his government. In an 11-minute recording on YouTube (which he had never accessed before) he appealed directly to the internet’s global reach. The report outlined how his video, titled ‘SOS from Minamisoma Mayor’ went immediately viral — more than 2,00,000 hits — and, around two weeks later, the city hall is still getting calls and food boxes from overseas.

Last week, India’s own campaign, against corruption — led by activist Anna Hazare and fuelled by the mood of the moment (a country fed up of scams at large) — gained momentum by the active use of social networking sites. There was criticism from quarters that tweeting/opinion sharing was all that was done rather than active involvement, but, often, fanning the flames as opposed to withholding comment is also considered action. And it worked like a charm in supporting the principle, if not entirely the means for achieving it.

That technology has shrunk the world is not new. But the extent of its formidable power is only now being acknowledged as it is harnessed, a work-in-progress as it magnifies and is tapped. Because people, even those unfamiliar with the net like that Japanese mayor, are now waking up to its ability to be not just a tool to network with but also a means of reaching out in urgency, of communicating when speed and response is of essence.

In an increasingly impersonal world, it has become that voice you can use if no one’s listening (Sensing this, many celebrities, not just here in Mumbai’s B-Town but the world over, have taken to using it to get closer to their fan base — a direct, personal involvement without external filters). Especially during emergencies.

Of course, the flipside is obvious — there is no stringent regulation, leaving grey areas up for scrutiny. Celebrities are often the focus of its facelessness, being impersonated/targeted many a time. Abusing that very facelessness and freedom is rampant. But given voice, a face, the internet is perhaps the fastest way to help and heal.

My favourite campaign at present is a recent report that talks of animal lovers around the world, including India, uniting on the net (more than 30,000 on Facebook alone, apparently) to offer a pit bull terrier from Belfast a home, because he has been ordered to be put to sleep by a Belfast judge. Keeping this breed is illegal under the Dangerous Dogs Order of 1991. In fact, one of the net’s greatest advantages is that it can reach so many, so quickly.
As the Japanese mayor said in the news report, “Suddenly the world was extending its hand to us.” King of Pop Michael Jackson had immortalised that very sentiment in his lullaby, way before the web underlined its effectiveness — ‘You are not alone.’ However soppy that sounds, in times of crisis and unrest it may signal welcome/necessary respite.