Start Looking at Cell Phones as Political Devices
156 views · Published 16 April 2011 · 4:43 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: The Uptake by Bridgemakers · 2011 · News & Politics
At the National Conference for Media Reform in Boston last weekend, Tim Karr of Free Speech told The UpTake's Sam Mayfield that we should start looking at cell phones as political devices. "You need look no further than what's happening in North Africa and the Middle East, where people are using cell phones to document atrocities by autocratic regimes in the streets," explained Karr. "There is so much power in that ability. And that problem exists to some degree here in the United States, where we have cell phones that are blocked, and we have networks that are blocking certain applications and devices." "Increasingly, we see that as an area to do a lot of good organizing around — to get people really engaged in defending this notion that my cell phone is political. Not only is it a device for me to call my parents or to check in with friends, but it's something that empowers me within this democracy. It's fundamental for us to start defending our rights to access and share information via these new devices."
