The revolution of the Chinese ants – the WTO-column

One of the key features of revolutions is that often changes are only qualified as revolutionary with hindsight. When the first cars hit the roads and the first airplanes tried to take off, most observers had a good laugh about those efforts to change the world.
While the original producers of those early cars and airplanes often had exaggerate expectations about how fast their products would change, in the end many of those expectations became true.
While the internet is still in its technological infancy, went through its first boom and bust cycle, it has rattled at the roots of many industries. Call it music, media, telecom, printing, gaming, they all felt what is called ‘the revolution of the ants’. The traditional players see their power positions undermined by the new technology that gives power to the small people and for many it has been, is and will be a “change or die” operation.

Who is familiar with the now embattled bulletin boards or BBS’s that have dominated the online life at Chinese universities for the past ten years has seen the ants in action. Many tens of thousands people engaged in sometimes heated discussions about almost any subject you can think of. Some of the larger BBS’s were really like an anthill, producing the best and the worst of the internet you can imagine.
They were an excellent tool for academic exchange and open debate at best. At worst they were the source of unfounded rumors, anonymous attacks on celebrities, outbursts of anti-Japanese hatemongering and extreme patriotism. In that way the internet is a tool, not different from a car. You can use it to go on a holiday or to rob a bank. While the latter use would certainly trigger off problems with the authorities, it would not be a reason to ban cars.
Unfortunately, that is what the educational authorities did with their BBS’s, when they got into hot water because of new rules on liability of online content. It caused an uproar, even demonstrations by upset students and others. By limiting most access to the students of their university, the BBS’s lost much of the benefits they brought to many of their users over the past decade.
The Chinese ants not only took on the streets, but organized an online petition to ask their president to reverse the draconian measure. The number of signatures is close to 3,000 when I’m writing this after the petition has been online for less than two day, but will be much higher when you are reading this.
Many of the users are going to find other ways to communicate with each other: the internet is about breaking down barriers, not building them and in the long run traditional forces who do not want to change, will be overrun by the ants.

Some players have learned from their earlier mistakes. The telecom industry is still missing the boat and does not realize we can talk with anybody everywhere almost for free. The media industry belongs to the slow adapters too. But the hard-hit music industry is now developing online revenue that actually pleases their customers. The book market has worldwide doubled in volume thanks to new searching techniques.
Universities, companies and individuals can try and destroy the anthills, but that will not kill the ants and their online revolution.

Also at BNN
Fons Tuinstra