Where Are the Leaders?

The major question that I have created within the Mediated Culture project deals with forging links and the ripples that arise from connections. The best approach for understanding the process of the Egyptian revolution is to study the leadership dynamic. I am attempting to understand this dynamic starting at the origin of movement. I am currently studying other social movements for comparison, and I routinely find the prevalence of a leader. Mahatma Gandhi was a prominent leader during the Indian civil rights movement (1893-1914) and struggle for independence from the British during (1915-1945). The direction of the movement was dictated by its leader in both form and goal.



The above example is just one of many. Another arises from the civil rights movement with the leader known as Martin Luther King Jr. These are movements for rights of a people, and they are not so different in purpose from the Egyptian revolution.

The medium is the major contrast between movements then and movements now. An example of a new media movement arises out of Burma VJ. This is one of the first major examples of video in the hands of the people, raw footage, real image, a lens into reality.



Burma VJ is a starting point of change in revolution. The lens of a video camera changes the focus. The definition of a leader becomes skewed, and the focus on an individual becomes more variable. Burma VJ starts with a leader (Aung San Suu Kyi) and the movement shifts to the leadership of Buddhist Monks. This shift is descriptive of the individual-to-masses movement. During the shift process, videographers are continually placing power within the people. I believe that this is the development that arises within the Egyptian Revolution. New forms of social media are placing power within the masses.

The leadership dynamics have completely changed, and they are descriptive of the development of a new medium. I have been researching the leader figures within the Egyptian movement, and one major figure is Wael Ghonim. Yet, his leadership is not manifested within the old form of discussion. He is leading through twitter and Facebook. His statements are confined to 140 characters and manipulated by the links we forge. He works for Google. He is composed of the masses.

We are truly redefining how we operate and how we make decisions. The concept of agency is changing. Everyone has a say in the choices we make, and the focus shifts from a leader to the people. Is this a beneficial dynamic? Can we operate within this new realm?

More to come on decisions within groups...