The Internet Is a Real Time Democracy that Covers the Western World

As governments collapse one by one through the Arab Spring movements worldwide, part of the reason is the Real Time Democracy that can exist in the internet and through social media of all kinds. Alone one person might be too afraid to fight for their rights. But when thousands or millions gather through the internet and social media of all kinds there really isn't the same reason for people to be afraid ever. What have they got to lose? They are with those they love of like mind. To die with the people you love to create a better world for your children and grandchildren is not such a bad thing. It wasn't possible before but it is now. Will old and cruel dictatorships be replaced with shining democracies? It is completely uncertain. But because of international help from other existing democracies all these collapsed nations (with more to come) have a chance at least of building their own democracies in the middle east and beyond.

If you look at the real problem of creating a democracy it is important to look at two things. First, a real democracy is mob rule. So, the internet is a form of vigilante and mob rule. Whereas, for example since the 1770s in the U.S. we have had a Representative Democracy. Since there were no telephones, faxes, TVs or anything even like a telegraph, Representative Democracy was what our nation formed. However, now we have a potential real time democracy with potential "rule by Mobs" which can easily get out of hand. However, we have also seen how out of hand Representative democracy can be when representatives lie or are corrupt and often aren't caught at it at all or it might take decades to find out that those officials were corrupt.

So, it is important to understand right off that mobs are often corrupted by bad information and they then harm or kill the innocents and often regret it only later. And Yes, it is true that often people are often punished or even executed by the Representatives of the Democracy and it is only found out later that those who were executed were actually innocent. With DNA testing, for example, it has brought the whole corporal punishment or execution system in all of the United States into question.

So, since SOPA and PIPA are before us now, what do we want as a people? And how do we want to structure all this? LIkely, it will take years of research by all of us to form a better way to do everything. My guess is that we will keep our representative democracy and form new elements within it based upon our Real Time Democracy which is forming now through all Social media in the Western World. Where it all goes from here is up to all of us together. If you and I don't take responsibility for the future then someone else will steal the future. This is a given in this world.