The term new media has become a buzz word for mainstream media to relegate upcoming independent voices to just forums. Thus, Rwanda Alternative New Media is considered subversive and rarely gets the support it deserves. Today, general computing has been renamed “ICT”. What bandwagon riders have failed to understand, is that ICT is a watered version of computing.
However, new media has come to mean social network websites such as Facebook, twitter, google+, etc.
In fact, 90% of Rwanda computer users, can’t tell that Facebook, google, etc. are like any other website, but running a social network script and is open-source(free software that can be modified), any website can become like Facebook, etc.
The mantra SMART Rwanda, being peddled by computer novices, is just a conceptual innovation by tweeter,facebook, etc. consumers, and not Rwandan computer scientists that understand the art of writing and house keeping computer code.
Few examples of Social Media Management Software
SocialEngine is social networking software powered by PHP and Zend. The script lets you easily create your own social network or online community. Includes customizable groups, photo albums, messaging, member profiles, videos, news feeds, a drag-and-drop CMS, and more.
iSocial is a free social networking script platform that allows you to create your own Friendster and Orkut like sites. Use bookmarks, dating and create groups with just one mouse click.
AroundMe Creates collaborative social websites (like Ning, Myspace, Yahoo or Google groups). Each group can create a multiple web pages. They get a drop in guestbook, blog, forum and wiki. Each group is fully customizable using xHTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP.
PHPizabiis one of the most powerful social networking platforms on the planet. With literally thousands of websites powered by PHPizabi including everything from simple friends sites to the most complex networking super sites out there.
These are just a few of social networking scripts that are out there.
These scripts have been around for sometime, and most of them were written(Programmed) by people who wanted an alternative platform of communication from mainstream media-scripts such as WordPress were not written for capitalists, but leftists with anarchist political ideology to publish their voices. This became diluted when mainstream journalists also got into blogging, and mainstream search engines such as google,yahoo, and Bing started favoring mainstream bloggers.
The success of the Facebook website has been due to mainstream propaganda-its not that special, but another website that is run by blue-eyed people.
That’s why it becomes very disappointing when the Rwanda government that boasts to be leading in the region-the use of ICT not innovating, but mere consumers and cheer leaders of other people’s websites such as tweeter, Facebook, Flickr, etc.
The worry about Rwanda becoming a shining star at consuming social media, is the amount of time wasted-spent indulging in nonsensical talk and gossip. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rwandan regime is also planning to introduce, University Bachelor degrees in tweeter and Facebook management,as the leadership of Rwanda, is there to be told what to do by imperialism.
Alternative new media should be made of autonomous platforms that are free from the fangs of capitalism and mainstream propaganda. When mainstream media decides to squat ie. creating an account on tweeter, Facebook,etc. then you begin to realise how new media is still a buzz word and not a reality.
Joram Jojo
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