The new Korean politics are all about IT, mobilization, and social networking. The political arena is a fierce jungle of analogue where force, anger and group mobilization answer to everything. They all have a smartphone too! Politicians’ opinions appear in SNS first before their opponent presents their ideas. Small commentating on twitter, facebook, or myspace could cost potential leaders of small towns, cities or countries the election if there were many followers to these social media frenzies.
Though the individuals who air their opinions (positive or negative) they can elect a party leader. They may do this via that equals to a public opinion survey. Party politics undecided by party members cannot be properly called party politics. SNS is currently being contaminated by politics when it should be an arena of communication and sharing of ideas and thoughts.
Even the wisest of people can become senseless and thoughtless once they are involved with a political party. In fact a trade wishing to sell Twitter accounts to Korean politicians has emerged, which is outrageous. To sum it up, the IT industry involves brains working together. Knowledge is shared and merged, but its fundamentals are not an equation that states one plus one is two, but an infinite expansion of the brain. Are politicians aware of the fundamentals when they use it
Smartphone Knows Everything You’ve Done
Google and Naver are powerful internet entities. It is because when people use mobile phones or computers, the phone or PC knows everything about their owner. This includes private life, tastes, friends, financial status and political disposition. In the past, credit card records told everything about a person’s life. Now it is your smartphone. Scary, isn’t it It is a frightful record telling everything you’ve done over the past few years. Korea is the haven of entertainment delivered via IT and media. The fad for Mr. Ahn Cheol-soo has led politicians to become more entertaining. As the Naggomsu emerged, both the IPTV and SNS are all entertainment-oriented. However, there is a time and place for laughter and seriousness.
40% of the US national budget is for national defense and another 40% is for medical and social welfare services. The country dispatches its army to other countries and is at war while trying to bring more welfare to the nation, which makes the budget as high as USD one trillion. The same applies to Korea. Beginning from free meal services to children and extending to university tuition fees and apartment housing, welfare is in excess. Every party and every color of politics is dedicated to welfare policies without a clue to a question, “who will pay the tax” Politicians debate what the best answer is to this question, but few may have the answer.
IT To Strengthen National Competitiveness and Investment Techniques
The IT network in the US including Facebook and Twitter brings in millions of dollars every year. China boasts of 970 million mobile phone subscribers, 510 million internet subscribers and is busy making money online and via SNS. Chinese politicians are no twitter users but completely control the online world, including and blocking Google, Facebook and Twitter. Some led to business successes of national online companies such as Baidu, Tencent and Renrenwang. Tencent, famous for QQ messenger, is the most expensive online game company in the world. China ranks first in the internet and SNS use. In fact 100 million out of 500 million “Angry Bird” users are Chinese.
Korea developed friend-making sites for the first time in the world but failed to globalize them. Rather, they produced several social vices. Online games and cyber outcasts play a certain role in children’s suicidal attempts. While there are negative impacts of IT in Korean society, no politician, public official or business has spoken of it.
IT shall not go down just as a source of entertainment, infringement on privacy, or rumors. Its genuine role is to enliven agriculture and manufacture the industry which are failing and losing their power. IT shall be aimed at strengthening national competitiveness and be a business tool to earn money and help its citizens.
Apple launched “iBooks 2” to bring digital revolution to the area of education and now aims at the textbook market. Korea’s IT market shall set a similar goal. We want to see the Korean IT industry earn money through innovation, design, and customer satisfaction and not as a means for politicians to gain power.
