Gal Beckerman: “This society needs great ideas; but there are only slogans»

Gal Beckerman He says it without getting lost in blunts: “Today there is a communication problem and that influences how ideas are formed and distributed in society.” The writer publishes “Before the storm” (Criticism), a book that addresses a disturbing fringe reality: the real reason why the movements and demands of society do not prosper. “Social networks have become our public sphere, but they create confusion. There is a lot of noise, they are going too fast and this is harmful. To carry out an idea, calm is required and currently there is not enough construction of them ». Beckerman, editor of “The New York Times Book Review”, gives an example: the Arab Spring. «She ventured what would come next. It was the best moment of social networks. It is where it had its best use. Hundreds of angry young people gathered in a square on a scale never imagined to overthrow the dictator. And after a few days, he resigned. The leaders of this movement thanked mark zuckerberg, because thanks to Facebook it had been achieved ». The problem, as Beckerman himself points out, came later. This social network “was unable to build an opposition.”

Are we at the gates of a moment in which great ideas will be born or not?

We are stuck. We are in a moment of crisis and we need great ideas that have not yet emerged. We just have great slogans that might get us out in the streets to protest for a couple of days, but they don’t lead to the change people need to see right now. Climate change is proof. We are living in a moment in which there is increasing awareness of the problem, but there is stagnation in society on how to get governments to make a move and make the sacrifices that have to be made to change this dynamic.

For an idea to prosper, a committed and individualistic society is needed.

Yes, that influences. We are in a very individualistic moment. When I have conversations with people who want to solve economic inequality, which is a problem that one person alone cannot solve and requires commitment, it shows. We have made ourselves too comfortable. In the French Revolution, the feeling of injustice and that they could be better and that brought them together. I think social media plays an important role in individualism by dictating that I am the center of the show. It’s in our best interest to come together and commit.

What’s wrong?

It’s funny, but what fails is communication. It’s obvious, but talking face to face is still necessary. We have lost the meaning and value of speaking. The feeling today is that of being at a party where you have a lot of social contacts, but you never have a real conversation with anyone. I don’t feel that in today’s societies there is such a conversation. We don’t listen to each other. That way of debating to align ideas and contrast thoughts that are different is not present.

“There is a problem to make governments assume the demands that society asks for”

What does this indicate?

A contemporary problem: we must be self-aware of what is happening and how we are using current communication tools, because now Twitter and Facebook are influencing our way of thinking. We have to reflect on what these networks are and how they shape us.

Do new ideas also fail for those who are not interested in them?

But that happens because authoritarian leaders, such as in Russia, Iran or China, have realized that these tools used by activists can also be used to control and monitor them. Before these conversations were secret. Now they’re on these public platforms and it’s easier to censor them. While some get excited about a protest, Putin has his cyber equipment to detect them and send them to jail. For me this is one more reason to think about cybersecurity. In Ukraine, encrypted chats are used to talk, for example.

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Gal Beckerman: “This society needs great ideas; but there are only slogans»