6 posts tagged “society”

Al Gore and the Purpose-Driven Web - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11...

“The purpose, I would urge all of you — as many of you as are willing to take it up — is to bring about a higher level of consciousness about our planet and the imminent danger and opportunity we face because of the radical transformation in the relationship between human beings and the Earth,” Mr. Gore said Friday evening at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.

I am getting a bit tired by Al Gore's efforts to raise awareness on climate change issues. I believe that he is stuck in a vicious circle. His award-winning personality has raised more eyebrows than the causes he supports. Yet, he made a point at the Web 2.0 summit and I am glad we are starting to talk about the purpose-driven Web. My master's thesis was on this topic and this NYTimes article justifies my essay.

There is more than blogging about our lives or sharing photos in Facebook or chatting on MSN. Social activism has gained a great potential through the Web 2.0 trend and we are still far from truly harnessing it. Maybe, we could learn a thing or two from Obama's web campaign. Hence his presence on YouTube, official blogs, Facebook, MySpace, etc. was a crucial element that convinced young voters to vote for him. 

A friend of mine asked me to help her with an English text about eating habits and nutrition. While I was proofreading it, I was watching some old episodes of Sex and The City in YouTube. Suddenly, I had an epiphany about the healthy lifestyle and "be fit" trend.

Walking around the streets of Athens, combined with the New York experience, you can see more fit people and less overweight, which is a good thing because it's not just a matter of looks but also a matter of general health. Though, this trend is creating a uniform standard. In these new conditions, where weight is not a defining factor, what can make you stand up from the crowd?

Fashion!, my fellow Voxers. As people get thinner, fashion becomes more extreme and versatile.Go window shopping and you will see the truth! Unusual accessories, mixing and matching couture with Zara or GAP, high-end shoes, colorful make-up and up-to-date coiffure are making a new cultural stand.

Besides, fashion is a part of culture. If it wasn't, then we wouldn't had so many museums about her. And don't forget, Yves Saint Laurent designed one of the most famous dresses of the 20th century being inspired by a painting of Mondrian!

    A dark era is upon the Greek society and state. Many problems of foreign and domestic nature occupy the daily news and casual conversations. A few months ago, the general secretary of the Ministry of Culture committed suicide. His mistress went to jail, because it is claimed that she blackmailed him. In the meantime, a highly-publicized newspaper was torn apart, because one of the owners delivered a DVD with erotic scenes of the general secretary and his mistress to the office of the Prime Minister. Why? Because, the general secretary had a strong friendly relationship with the PM, which he used in order to gain more political power inside the Ministry. This power granted him access to a large number of funds and projects that provided him with the means of a lavish lifestyle. People have told to the press, that the secretary defied even the minister. But what could the minister do when the secretary was "in bed" with the PM's wife. It is said that they have established a well-funded NGO. This story is ongoing since we expect the secretary to leave the ER anytime soon.

    Recently the left-wing political party, SYRIZA, elected a new president who is only 34 years old. This action is highly praised in our society, since our politicians are old and full with non-contemporary ideas. Right now, SYRIZA is creating a new constituency, since most people are getting fed up with the big parties. It was about time to see what the youth has to offer in terms of politics.

    On foreign relations, we have a big issue with the name of FYROM and the ongoing negotiations that started almost 15-16 years ago. FYROM wants to obtain the name "Macedonia", while Macedonia is a the name of a large county in North Greece. I can't tell you much right now, because every day something new pops up. I want to see first how our current government will balance things and then write about it. And don't forget the Kosovo independence issue that brings more instability in the Balkans!

    In the meantime, a new issue threw us back in turmoil. This time it has to do with a blog named Press-gr. This blog offers unbiased and alternative news to the Greek audience and it has a high rating in terms of page per views.Yet, politicians and some journalists have claimed that Press-gr blackmailed, mocked and insulted them through its posts and now they are ready to take legal action. And I ask myself my fellow Voxers: what should George W. Bush do with all these blogs that give him the worst names? Should he ask for NSA CIA and FBI to hunt them down? The thing here is that the majority of the Greek society treats the internet as something evil. They can't understand that the internet is a free space where everybody can express themselves without prejudice. Last night, while I was watching the news, some reporters commented that a solution to this problem could be a new legislation. Are we out of our minds??? Freedoms of speech and press are fundamental rights! Thank God, for the labor union of Greek journalists who issued a statement to prevent such a law-producing procedure.

    Yet, the problem remains. As long as the Greek society treats everything new with a "bad" eye, how will she evolve in these modern times? Surely, skepticism is accepted, but denial is not. We have to face the fact that the world is in constant change. New media are taking over the traditional ones ; thus changing the way we report and analyze facts. We can't stay behind and treat everything new and contemporary with as tools of the Evil. Sometimes, our lack of knowledge and education can put us in uncomfortable areas, but after all these years of history and culture we should have known better.
   
    I wish mine and future generations will make a difference.

It's been so far quite a day. I presented some points from my thesis to undergrads who seemed interested on the subject. Yet, I have a difficult time finding the proper material. A short books list will not be accepted, therefore I need to find empirical evidence. 

Keeping the spirit of the previous post, I would like to share with you some links to website that promote charities and social causes. oh yeah! and social networking, of course, since it is the "IT" thing on the internet. User-generated content doesn't have to be about people self-promoting their work and businesses or remixing songs and TV shows. There is so much more to do.
I encourage you all to take a few minutes and browse these sites. We can make a difference in the world if we really want it and by "difference" I don't mean to just donate an amount of money. Change needs more than money. Change needs us and our personal time. I would adore to see my Vox neighbors initiate a "social cause movement" and stick to it. And if you didn't get it; that was a proposal! Let's do something more than just blog about our lives, problems and sentiments. Let's pick a cause and try to make it happen.
Here are the links I suggest. Take a look. Rip some ideas and let's get to work: Change, Razoo and Changing the Present.

Merry X-mas

Hell-o my fellow Voxers!

The past couple of days, I have been having long talks with friends who are older than me. Through our discussions, I came to the conclusion that 30's are the new 20's. How? You'll see!

Let's take a simple example from my big fat Greek reality: 30 years ago (almost a generation ago), my father was around the age of 25 something. By that age, he was already a father! Back to 2007, I am 25 years old and I still haven't finished neither my studies nor my military service! My friends live still with their parents and some of them have started to work in internship programs (most of them are unpaid) or they work in low-wage positions in companies of every sort.

By the age of 25, my father could support a three-members family. By the age of 25, I can't even support myself for a whole month. I don't even have to tell you about when I plan to make a family of my own! My generation is called "the generation of 700 euros". Most of us, we have to wait until our 30s to start living indepedent. My own brother left the family house 3 years ago; he was 30 years old. One of my best friends is 33 years old and she still lives with her mother. Why? Because she can't afford a house of her own. Low salaries, high prices and professional exploitation discourage us from taking the big leap forward! And if we ask for a raise, tomorrow will find us without job!

One of my friends' sister just got a full-time job. She is 30 years old. After her college graduation, the work experience she gained was from internships.

I now strongly believe that my life is postponed for 5 years at least! In the meantime, my generation and I are left in void!

To be continued...