Conflict in the Digital Age

Honing in on Colleen R. LaRose has led many to take a closer look at terrorism and what it means to the United States. She earned her online alias name “Jihad Jane” after she was linked Islamic militant forces through the internet. This article, written by Bob Drogin and Tina Susman, shares the frightening truth about the new age of terrorism.

Social media, email, chat rooms all have been revolutionary in today’s standards of communication. The same technology that we use for catching up with family and friends however, is also being used to spread radical propaganda and essentially, terrorism and anger.

The article gives examples of terror stemming from our own backyards. Five Northern Virginia boys were also caught and arrested in Pakistan based on “suspicion of seeking to join anti-American militants in Afghanistan.”

Ultimately, the efforts made by the MAS Freedom Foundation are falling short. They are having a hard time competing with terrorism sites. "They get the backdrop of the Afghani mountains or the battlefields of Somalia. We're speaking from conference centers and quiet halls. Somehow, we have to figure out a way to make our message more newsworthy. We've issued YouTube videos, and it barely gets a couple of hundred hits," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

I feel that in light of this topic, the results of how powerful the internet can really be are terrifying. We have seen the product of group think and organization, look at smart mobs for example. Think however, of the implications of the same organization that would go into meeting at the UNC library for a dance party only to meet in a public location and open fire.

Society is being impacted now more so than ever before simply because of the digital technology we have available to us. Not only are Anti-American websites providing a way for extremists to connect, but they are in fact feeding terrorism and egging people on. Fawaz A. Gerges, a terrorism expert at the London School of Economics, says it best, “Basically, Al Qaeda isn't coming to them, they are using the Web to go to Al Qaeda."

The connections made online are irrefutable, websites are not only being used to spread propaganda but also recruit. Figuring out what people want on an individual basis is tough, as a society however, it’s simple, they want to belong and feel a part of something. Web sites like the one created by Anwar al Awlaki have made is possible to terrorists , including Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit on Christmas Day, to feel a sense of belonging and a place of organization.

People are not just talking anymore, but taking action in violent ways. The evolution of technology has a direct correlation to the evolution of terrorism attacks. The internet also plays a positive role in the War on Terror. Government agencies are just as able to find and track terrorist as they are communicate with each other.

Digital Divide

While the digital divide has left cause for concern, there might be positive shift in the internet access gap. According to this article, written by Gregory Asmolov, Russian families are becoming more and more enabled to access the internet.

It was reported in 2009 that users with broadband access jumped up 36%. The article points out two interesting facts. Over half the Russian population claims that the recent economic downturn has not affected their level of internet usage. This is an amazing thing considering how expensive it is to have internet access in some areas of Russia. This says volumes about just how crucial internet access has become today.

Another point the article discusses is the amount of young Russians beginning to use the internet on their mobile phones, 46% to be exact. This is interesting because not only are Russians becoming increasingly dialed it, but they are jumping from regular internet access to hand held access.

I chose to look at an article about Russia because it’s relevant to interpreting the global divide. It is important to stay informed about what is happening around the world because Russia’s progress means an overall shift in how much of the world now has broadband access and what the shift in the divide is. It is important to remember that Americans are not in this alone and it is imperative for the rest of the world to have access as well.

In light of the topic of the digital divide, this article offers a positive response towards efforts of closing the gap. It is important to see numbers like Russia’s in all countries. It is so crucial that everyone in every country has fair access to the internet for a lot of reasons but mainly so everyone is capable of an education and has an equal opportunity for success.

Countries without the technology and without the knowledge of how to use the technology suffer and are unable to succeed in a global market due to a lack of education.

Russia’s numbers interpret a lot about society as a whole. It is amazing that despite unfair pricing in a lot of Russian areas, people are still willing to pay because that is how important internet access has become to us.

The other day I was at my house and for some reason our internet was down. It could not have been for more than thirty minutes but my roommates and I were devastated, you would have thought it was the beginning of the end. Point being, this is how people that do have broadband access feel about their connections because they are just that crucial to everyday life.

It is a wonderful thing to see numbers like Russia’s, it offers hope that there are advancements in closing the digital divide as well as encourages support.

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