WebMink
Simon Phipps's personal commentary

The story about a man dumping paint in the offices of a junk mail company [via DayPop] because he can't find a way to stop them sending him advertisements in his (paper) mail appears humourous on the surface. But it seems to me a symbol of the powerlessness of the web-aware generation (WAG) and a forecast of the civil disobedience we can expect to see from WAGs in the future.
All around us right now are things that have my injustice meter (and presumably that of other WAGs) hitting the end stop, yet there seems to be no representation in government (in any country) that is representing the rights of this citizen minority - now 45% in the UK, mind you. We see a US cartel trying to restrict global web-site access rights through the courts in fanciful self-defence against a movement that actually does them no harm and arguably helps them. We see an outdated and overloaded patent system being used to stifle innovation rather than foster it. We see legislation being introduced worldwide that tips the balance of copyright law so far in favour of corporate greed that fair-use rights are threatened. We see ill-devised laws appearing that, through the big-money lobbying of the media cartels, will criminalise me if I have to do anything to use my purchased goods other than follow the supplied instructions in order.
And so the tide rolls on. Today it is the over-the-top actions of a disturbed man that the local gutter press have gone out of their way to character assassinate. But the frustration at the injustices being piled on WAGs will only mount over time. These are the first signs of a bitter conflict ahead. Let's hope that the democractic system works over the next few years, before it's the mass actions of the rational that are being reported rather than the flare-ups of the disturbed.

posted at 1:42 PM (UK) | |