The Bush Years: A growth in communication, evolving politics and war on terror

[unhappycamper]

The Bush Years: A growth in communication, evolving politics and war on terror
By Kevin Baron, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, January 19, 2009

In March 2000, a survey found that just about half of adults had cell phones, only 46 percent were using the Internet, and less than 5 percent of homes were equipped with high-speed, broadband connections. Today, 83 percent of American adults have cell phones, 74 percent use the Internet, and broadband use has jumped to 58 percent.

When Barack Obama takes the oath of office, many of the estimated 2 million people in the crowd will hold up their cell phones to capture a photo of the moment.

Security officials have said that so many people talking, or worse, sending bandwidth-eating pictures to the Internet, could bring down cell service to the entire area. The American Red Cross’ preparedness guide to attending the events on the Mall — yes, even the Red Cross is worried — recommends that participants only send text messages.

Much has changed in the eight years since President George W. Bush looked out over his own Inauguration Day audience, but perhaps most significant to daily life is the rapid rise of digital connectivity, or what technologists view as the combination of high-speed Internet access, widespread cell phone use, and mobile technologies.

As some physical barricades went up around the country, global communication barriers were broken down. People from Kabul to Kansas are using so-called "Web 2.0" tools such as YouTube, Facebook and blogs, to create new Web content at lightning speed, instantly sharing information and ideas.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60105