Burma, Authenticity, and New Media Blockage

Authenticity in Old and New Media censorship in Burma (Myanmar)

Authentic- adj., of undisputed origin; genuine

In my country of Burma, there have been recent strides in the early 2010's to make Burmese press and newspapers more authentic by removing censorship regulations, especially for newspapers. However such newspapers cannot be owned privately and many journalists are still wary of the consequences for publicizing certain information. Internet access and the lifting of bans on web content in Burma seems to be a different issue but also one that people are optimistic seeing as how many things that were once inaccessible are now available to them. Internet access is also becoming more free in that 30, 000 sites were unblocked in 2012.

We discussed in class several topics surrounding authenticity such as the mission statement activity where we talked about the purpose of these statements being that they are there to create branding and convince consumers they're genuine in purpose. We also discussed authenticity when we talked about virtual rituals and places online such as Second Life, Facebook, or an Ikea wedding where people recreate the rituals that are known as physical experiences and extend the to the part of their lives that exists online. We have also recently been talking about censorship of course and how many times it exists as an act of maintenance for a status quo or idealism about a group of people or a place and what they believe in and what it is like to be there.

The concept of authenticity relates to the censorship of the Burmese people because it illustrates the ways in which a government can suppress issues or opinions under the guise of safety and secrecy. Controlling what gets to be authentic or what can be said for an entire country can lead to social disconnect not only with other nations but within their own. People in Burma now have access to Facebook which has exposed issues surrounding hate speech against certain groups. By making people privy to the good (internet) and the bad (hate speech, harrassment) there is room to have discussions on how to unite or reform rather than silence. Authenticity is not simply what is good or interesting but it is also the by products of being honest and real. In Burma citizens are unable to be fully authentic in that most internet sites related to gambling, sex, drugs, democracy, dating, sex, and things LGBT related. The print press and other old media are less regulated allowing for preliminary authenticity but also the lack of internet media keeps citizens from forming any authentic opinions outside of the preexisting ones within the culture.

Sources

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19315806

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/04/internet-freedom-myanmar-curse--201441095932371441.html