BR #9

Idle No More is fundamentally dependant on social media. We see the evolution of community involvement when you compare something like the London Riots in 2011 who utilized Blackberry messenger as their primary medium of communication to he Idle No More movement. This form of communication (BBM) may have been secure but it was far from inclusionary. This digital divide through access to the communication method was revised as we see the Idle No More campaign not restricting any involvement based on financial standpoint or regional boundaries. Social media includes people who are on any interactive forum including Facebook and Twitter. The majority of the people involved in this movement were in areas that had easily accessible internet connection and because all of this social media is free, the communication is increasingly efficient. 

Arab Spring movements appear to have a greater obstacle when it comes to the involvement of the government. When the people in charge of the well being of an entire country deny the public transparency within their operations, there becomes a bigger problem. First off the government did not allow people to become involved in decision making, secondly they prevented them to voice their concerns. Not only has the government presented a digital divide, but they have restricted digital access all together. Removing the means of communication between a population is a violation of rights and makes it extremely difficult to spread updates and information on the social movement. Facebook had been the primary method of communication in Egypt and once that was denied to them, they were lucky enough to have already largely spread the word. If the use of the internet and phone lines were removed prior to he original protests on their police recognition day there would not have been enough awareness on the movement and there would not have been any major impact on the population. 

There appears to have been a potential digital divide within the Arab Spring movements which the Idle No More does not have to worry about. Gender equality within the Aboriginal community is a strong cultural aspect but for those in the middle east, has been a topic of controversy. Those living in the middle east have not always thought in a manner that promotes gender equality. However, in the videos shown in class it appears that there are women involved but not to the extent that there could be. The vast majority of people running April 6th were men and from a view of the streets it also looked as if the majority protesting were men. If there were complete equality then there would be more women involved in the social movement. This is likely also apparent on a digital front. Luckily access to interactive social media sites are not restrictive of gender or sexual orientation. 

What seems amazing is the bond through religion created in Egypt between the police and the protestors. Regardless of the war that may be raging in front of them the police respect the protestors right to practice Muslim prayers.