1

Computing as Strategic Tool for Computing as Strategic Tool for

Glocal Human Rights Movement?Glocal Human Rights Movement?

Positioning Socio-Cultural-Ethical Positioning Socio-Cultural-Ethical

Aspects of Cyberpower in their ContextAspects of Cyberpower in their Context

On-Kwok Lai

School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan

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Globalization–driven Social Dualism

• widespread poverty in affluent societies / localities, rural-

urban divided

• deregulatory policy initiatives favour commodification /

privatization of social services social dualism

Economic, Social & Cultural Rights Challenged!Economic, Social & Cultural Rights Challenged!

China: Economic Miracle: >8% GDP Growth since 1978

per capita income of city dwellers in China increased by 8%, compared to rural residents of 2.5% (2000-06)

Working in cities accounted 70% of the total annual increase

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Global Crisis – Local Global Crisis – Local Solutions?Solutions?

• World ‘War’ for Economic Development? World ‘War’ for Economic Development?

• Trading - Mobility Regime reduces Trading - Mobility Regime reduces People’s Eco-Humanity SensitivityPeople’s Eco-Humanity Sensitivity

• Decoupling Production-Consumption Eco-Decoupling Production-Consumption Eco-Nexus Nexus andand ESC Rights ESC Rights

• Development Divides: Sourcing / Development Divides: Sourcing / Utilization / Mis-Match Utilization / Mis-Match betweenbetween Rich-Poor, Rich-Poor, Developed-DevelopingDeveloped-Developing

• Under-developing/investment Under-developing/investment forfor Future Future

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Against Human ESC Rights?Against Human ESC Rights?Globalization Globalization reinforces reinforces Polarization? Polarization?

Productivity Increase ESC Rights Challenged! Job Mobility Employment Insecurity? Winners and Losers in Globalization? Promoting (Anti-)Globalization? Which Versions of Globalization? Globalization with Benevolence? What ESC Rights, esp. Left for the Least

Advantaged Groups?

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Humanity under Siege in a Globalizing World?

Regional/Global Divisions of Labors –cum- Competitiveness Discourse

Informational Society Time+Space Compression

Hyper-Flexible Production Regime: Borrowed Time+Space Compression –/ Job–Life Course?

De-Skilling Derived Job / Life-Chance: Redundancy, Early Retirement, Downsizing

Anti-Globalization Protests & Processes?

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Human (ESC) Rights Human (ESC) Rights in a Globalizingin a Globalizing World World

• Globalization: problematic & contradictory life chance / ESC Rights of people?

• Globalization: a benign and automatic force better

economic benefits for everyone, even the poorest group can be better off.

• Political Extreme Left: unbridled capitalism does produce effects of exploitation of the weak and socio-ecological degradation

Political Extreme Right: the malignant forces of globalization engender xenophobia, the demising local people’s jobs, culture, language and hence identity

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NGOs Questing for Social, Alternative Development!

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NGOs’ Anti-Globalization NGOs’ Anti-Globalization Communicative Actions & ProcessCommunicative Actions & Process

Fair Trade for All? (G22 Agenda) 1st May, Seattle & Other Protests Global Peace Movement (15. Feb. 2003)

‘Anti-G‘ information and ideas in/beyond cyberspace, bypassing the mass media, turn into global real time social actions

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Differential LOGICSDifferential LOGICS ofof GlobalizationGlobalization• Global Civil Society: Mobile Communicative Actions Global Civil Society: Mobile Communicative Actions

by NGOs – articulating their human, bio-eco ethical by NGOs – articulating their human, bio-eco ethical demands through non-institutional politics of protest demands through non-institutional politics of protest movements movements

• WTO though sticks to its multi-lateral summit WTO though sticks to its multi-lateral summit (protected by strong police force), yet it has to deal (protected by strong police force), yet it has to deal with with human (eco-social-cultural) rights & animal human (eco-social-cultural) rights & animal rights!rights!

• Bio-Diversity: Ethics of Bio-production (Bio vs. GM)Bio-Diversity: Ethics of Bio-production (Bio vs. GM)

• ICT: a crucial factor to empower the (presumably) powerless ICT: a crucial factor to empower the (presumably) powerless NGOs; global civil society has learned quick, adopting wire and NGOs; global civil society has learned quick, adopting wire and wireless communication set up to champion their project, in wireless communication set up to champion their project, in cyber and mass mediacyber and mass media

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Anti- Pro-Development Advocacies:

New Humanity?New Humanity?Deep-to-Shallow EcologyDeep-to-Shallow Ecology

glo(bal-lo)cal communicative actions – using of all wired and wireless media of communications in both cyber / in real communications – enable people’s participation in bio-eco-ethical debates and communication

Local – Global Dialectics of DevelopmentLocal – Global Dialectics of Development

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Post-Asian Crisis – Digital Post-Asian Crisis – Digital CapitalismCapitalism ‘e’-Strategy‘e’-Strategy • Post-financial crisis: pro-growth development model for Post-financial crisis: pro-growth development model for

e-commerce, e-government, e-technopolis… e-commerce, e-government, e-technopolis…

• E-Singapore E-Singapore

• ‘‘e-‘ project: e-Japane-‘ project: e-Japan

• South Korea tops cable connection South Korea tops cable connection

• China is catching up its mobile communications China is catching up its mobile communications

networking, networking,

• Taiwan is becoming a silicon islandTaiwan is becoming a silicon island

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Status of Diffusion of Mobile Phones - Japan

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Trend of Household Ownership of ICT Devices

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Total Internet User Population &Internet Diffusion Rate

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Globalized SpaceGlobalized Space

Internet, the World Wide Web and the other electronic technologies Internet, the World Wide Web and the other electronic technologies

that are shrinking the world offers considerable potential as a source of that are shrinking the world offers considerable potential as a source of

democracy... by facilitating the continued proliferation of networks that democracy... by facilitating the continued proliferation of networks that

know no boundaries, these technologies have introduced a horizontal know no boundaries, these technologies have introduced a horizontal

dimension to the politics of dimension to the politics of Globalized SpaceGlobalized Space. They enable like-minded . They enable like-minded

people in distant places to converge, share perspectives, protest people in distant places to converge, share perspectives, protest

abuses, provide information and mobilize resources – dynamics that abuses, provide information and mobilize resources – dynamics that

seem bound to constrain vertical structures that sustain governments, seem bound to constrain vertical structures that sustain governments,

corporation and any other hierarchical organizations corporation and any other hierarchical organizations (Rosenau 1998: 46). (Rosenau 1998: 46).

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TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVISMGlobal-Local

• ‘Globalized Space’ thesis James N. Rosenau (1997, 1998)

• ICT affects: the shaping of individual’s identity and actions that transcend territorial borders anchoring upon ecological issues

(Katz & Aakhus Eds., 2002; Woolgar Ed., 2002)

• Transnational Advocacy Networks Margarett E. Keck & Kathryn Sikkink (1998, 1999), Lai (2004)

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HUMAN SUSTAINABILITYHUMAN SUSTAINABILITYCYBER-ACTIVISMCYBER-ACTIVISM

Participatory politics at global/local scale is possible with all forms of communications: one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one and many-to-many.

Internet (cable, wireless and satellite) multi-

modal of communications, representing both micro as well as mass media functioning.

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CommunicativeCommunicative Actions, LogicsActions, Logics

&& Green PraxisGreen Praxis ofof CyberCyber--RainbowRainbow

WarriorsWarriors in/out in/out ofof Everyday LifeEveryday Life ::

ee--MobilizationMobilization forfor Transnational Ecological Transnational Ecological

Activism (TEA) Activism (TEA) in/beyondin/beyond CyberspaceCyberspace

Human ESC Rights’ CommunicationHuman ESC Rights’ Communication

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Eco-Cyber-Activism-Advocacy?!!Eco-Cyber-Activism-Advocacy?!! Association of Progressive CommunicationsAssociation of Progressive Communications Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch Opendemocracy.netOpendemocracy.net South Korean Jinbo.net South Korean Jinbo.net Friends of the Earth InternationalFriends of the Earth International

Greenpeace InternationalGreenpeace International PETA.orgPETA.org

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Redefining New Humanity?New Human Rights Movement

Questioning Economic Development? Against outsiders on indigenous Development? Questioning CSR of TNCs? Against neo-liberal / Trading Regime? Indigenous Rights? Profits vs. ESC Rights? Local Community & Ecology vs. Global TNCs

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Advocacies & Appeals Advocacies & Appeals forfor ESC RightsESC Rights

• Choreographed - Visualized Reality Choreographed - Visualized Reality

• Sensational Advocacies & AppealsSensational Advocacies & Appeals

• Dramatized Clear Role for Victims - Predators Dramatized Clear Role for Victims - Predators

• Binary Code(s) for Winner / Loser Binary Code(s) for Winner / Loser

• Ethical & Moral Appeal – Support for VictimsEthical & Moral Appeal – Support for Victims

• ““Normal-Natural” (Fundamentalist) AppealsNormal-Natural” (Fundamentalist) Appeals

• Appeal for Personal / Individual ActionsAppeal for Personal / Individual Actions

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COMMUNICATIVE Ethics PRAXIS @TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVISM

Communicative Praxis: Creation of new political

activism of NGOs in global civil society, with the praxis of

broad access avenues of civic participation at national,

regional, international levels.

Ethical Communications!Ethical Communications! e-platforms for exchanges of information, in-house action-

strategies, and recruitment of volunteers for e-mobilization

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Communicative Praxis Action + Identity @ Time+Space

• cyberspace (for novices as well as veteran activists) is a learning-by-doing, action-oriented media at both individual and collective levels.

just a few clicks, sending support and appeal letters or animated e-cards to the targets

Global Citizen (Guardian for Humanity)

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Glocal Communicative ActivismBoomeranging!!!Bio-Eco-Human Ethical Diplomacy!!

Transnational Advocacies Networks (TAN) for people empowerment - the global civil society: Boomerang Strategies: Local Global Local

ICT (mobile communicative actions in a progressive mode) in enabling Global Communicative Activism

ICT - the leverage for the resource-poor and/or under-privileged groups in articulating their justifiable demand for a fair / equitable life chance.

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Outsiders -as- InsidersOutsiders -as- InsidersComputer-Comunnicative Ethics?Computer-Comunnicative Ethics?

ICT enhanced cyber-cum-social mobilization ICT enhanced cyber-cum-social mobilization extends the territorial (ir)relevance of human extends the territorial (ir)relevance of human ESC rights issues ESC rights issues

enables “outsiders”, non-reference-persons, enables “outsiders”, non-reference-persons, to have influence in and beyond the locally to have influence in and beyond the locally and regionally specific, territorially defined, and regionally specific, territorially defined, human ESC rights struggles human ESC rights struggles

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Local-Global Eco-Humanity LinksLocal-Global Eco-Humanity Links

Selectivity & Reversibility for Selectivity & Reversibility for

Local Action – Global Outcome / Global Action – Local Action – Global Outcome / Global Action – Local ConsequenceLocal Consequence

Selectivity of Ethical Dialectics (Thesis – Anti-Selectivity of Ethical Dialectics (Thesis – Anti-thesis – Synthesisthesis – Synthesis

Individual Behavior Individual Behavior Collective Reciprocity Collective Reciprocity Global Action Global Action Sustainability? Sustainability?

(Non-)Common Sense Approaches: (Non-)Common Sense Approaches: – ESC Rights Compatible Consumption Consumerism ESC Rights Compatible Consumption Consumerism

Ethics of New Modernity in the Informational Age?Ethics of New Modernity in the Informational Age?

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Individual makes Difference Individual makes Difference in thein the Global Humanity PoliticsGlobal Humanity Politics ––

multiple linkages of TAN in and beyond the cyberspace stretch geographical localities…

Global - Humanity Citizenship?Global - Humanity Citizenship?

extending to numerous individuals who used to be passive observers (of the mass media) and call upon their participation in a less militant, yet supportive, role for the protest movements

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Rediscovering Rediscovering Biodiversity - HumanityBiodiversity - Humanity?? Expanding Asian Cyber-Space: Expanding Asian Cyber-Space:

Embryo for Cyber-Activism?Embryo for Cyber-Activism?

Geo-Politics Anchorage of Social Agencies?

Asian state’s e-government projects

Burgeoning ICT Market in Asia

Wired + Wireless Access for Communication Expansion???

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BARRIERS AGAINST GLOBAL ESC Rights-(CYBER-)ACTIVISM

• Censorship + Control the Internet

• Cyber-Imperialism

• Geo-Comparative (Dis-)Advantage of (i)NGOs

• Digital Divides & Regional/Local Differences

• Differential State-Society Conflicts

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Age-Specific Digital Divide:

Mobile Phone Users by Age (2005) - Japan

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Hyper-Modernization forHyper-Modernization forNew Modernity – Eco-HumanityNew Modernity – Eco-Humanity

Re-organization or disorganization of Re-organization or disorganization of Socio-Economic Life through ICT?Socio-Economic Life through ICT?

Facilitating Differential Cultural Facilitating Differential Cultural Formation and the Change of Formation and the Change of Everyday Social Practice in Various Everyday Social Practice in Various Domains Domains

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Dynamics of CyberspaceDynamics of Cyberspace Multiple Differentiated EngagementsMultiple Differentiated Engagements

IndividualisticIndividualistic,, Profit-Seeking Profit-Seeking,, Self-Promotion Self-Promotion andand Greedy Encounters Greedy Encounters

Enlightened Individual driven e-Mobilization Enlightened Individual driven e-Mobilization for nano-scale objects to yotta (10for nano-scale objects to yotta (102424)-scale )-scale Global SustainabilityGlobal Sustainability

Wired and Wireless CommunicationWired and Wireless Communication to to develop develop SizeSize, , Power Base Power Base andand Influence Influence ofof Critical Mass Critical Mass forfor Alternative Politicking Alternative Politicking

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Cosmopolitan Participatory Democracy Cosmopolitan Participatory Democracy versus / for Individual Existence?versus / for Individual Existence?

Creation of new political institutions and a Creation of new political institutions and a diversity of NGOs in global civil society diversity of NGOs in global civil society Global Governance for one’s Survival?Global Governance for one’s Survival?

New democratic – participatory (critical New democratic – participatory (critical engaging) principle and praxis of broad engaging) principle and praxis of broad access to avenues of civic participation at access to avenues of civic participation at national, regional and international levels national, regional and international levels

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ee-MOBILIZATION-MOBILIZATION GGlobal/Locallobal/Local Sustainability Sustainability

Transnational Advocacy Networks & Activism – a powerful challenge / reminder for supra-national bodies to abide the basic condition / morality for development

But the question is how to do it, by market force, the supra-national state or civic forces?

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Positioning HumanityPositioning Humanity in Hyper-Modernizationin Hyper-Modernization

•High Economic Growth – Social Change High Economic Growth – Social Change •Economic Liberalization - GlobalizationEconomic Liberalization - Globalization

• ICT Sophistication – Mobile CommunicationICT Sophistication – Mobile Communication

Communicative Actions in Mobile ICT RegimeCommunicative Actions in Mobile ICT RegimeCyberspace – e-MobilizationCyberspace – e-Mobilization Articulating One’s Presence & Ethics in Blogs, Articulating One’s Presence & Ethics in Blogs,

SMS, MMS, SNS onto e-platform of YouTube, SMS, MMS, SNS onto e-platform of YouTube, MySpace, MSNMySpace, MSN

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Eco-HEco-HumanumanRRightsights Ethics & Norms: Ethics & Norms: Ideas / Ideals Ideas / Ideals ofof New Humanity New Humanity

Questions revolve around / against Corporate and/or State Agencies for Sustainable Development/Progressiveness: towards next (Eco-)Modernity?

ICT’s Articulation of Animal - Human Existential, and International (humanity and bio-ethics) Norms and Justice, for a more Open and Participatory Regime of Global Governance

Science (Knowledge) or Religion (Belief)?

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HumanityHumanity:: Objects Objects asas Subjectivity? Subjectivity?Human Value Human Value versusversus (ICT) (ICT) KnowledgeKnowledge

Cultural, ideological and value base of Cultural, ideological and value base of scientific knowledge questioned?scientific knowledge questioned?

Disorganized-Uncoupled Disorganized-Uncoupled Communications on Scientific, Humanity Communications on Scientific, Humanity and (Eco-System) Sustainability Risksand (Eco-System) Sustainability Risks

Emerging or Ending of Paradigmatic Emerging or Ending of Paradigmatic Shift?Shift?

Whose Value? What Scientific Whose Value? What Scientific Knowledge? Individual, Church, Knowledge? Individual, Church, Community, NGOs, Market or the State Community, NGOs, Market or the State as Proxy of Final Appeal and Judgment?as Proxy of Final Appeal and Judgment?

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New Ethical-Communicative New Ethical-Communicative PraxisPraxis@ New Humanity-Modernity?@ New Humanity-Modernity? New Communicative PraxisNew Communicative Praxis:: Promotion of Promotion of Communicative Independence - Communicative Independence - guard guard against the expert- imperialist controls. against the expert- imperialist controls.

Cyber-Activism towards Socio-Eco E-quity & Cyber-Activism towards Socio-Eco E-quity & Justice: Justice: call for normative call for normative ddevelopment evelopment agenda for agenda for the humanization of the the humanization of the informational society and global informational society and global sustainability: equity, participation and sustainability: equity, participation and social justice in the system of global/local social justice in the system of global/local governancegovernance

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New Humanity & SustainabilityNew Praxis?

• Pooling of ‘Global-Flexibility’ Risks? • Diversified Regime of Development? • From Dependency to Self-Sufficiency?• New Socio-Eco Contract for Sustainability!• Beyond Market Approaches: CSR? Local

Capacity Building, Self-Help Cooperatives, Benevolent Regime for Development