Pakistani Group Goes Viral on Youtube

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/world/asia/beygairat-brigades-youtube-hit-song-challenges-extremism-in-pakistan.html?ref=arts

A group of young, liberal Pakistani men have taken to Youtube.com in order to vent their feelings and issues about the extremism that runs rampant in the country and stifles so many.  The group called themselves “Brigade Without Honor” (English translation) and their viral hit translates as, “Potatoes and Eggs”. The song calls out extremist political and religious leaders as well as conspiracy theorists that reign in Pakistan.

In addition to highlighting the clever, satirical lyrics, the article reinforces that calling out leaders in a country like Pakistan isn’t exactly the safest bet. When a leader opposed a blasphemy law recently, he was assassinated. That being said, I think these young men should be recognized for the importance of what they are doing. Whether or not you agree with what they are saying, they have employed social media to effectively have their voices heard and essentially start a PR campaign against extremism in Pakistan. Youtube and social media are tools that most of us in the free world use for entertainment, but seeing others use them to free themselves from oppression and have their voice heard demonstrates the importance and power of social media. 

Response to Week 12 Reading – Washington Post

Cecelia Kang’s Washington Post article about privacy highlighted the issues that have emerged with social media and devices that are equipped with GPS technology. Often times, children and adolescents are the most vulnerable when it comes to security issues. Lawmakers and privacy and security experts have spent a great deal of time and resources advocating for increased security measures those who use social media or apps that track location and other sensitive information.

To me, this is all kind of ridiculous. People are working to advocate for changes to protect us … from ourselves? If you don’t want people to know your location, don’t “check in”. If you don’t want your credit card info out there, don’t enter it. It’s simple and common sense. As for companies taking advantage of children and adolescents who don’t yet understand the gravity of privacy, there is also a pretty simple answer. Like the last example in the article states, parents or guardians or whoever is responsible for a child should also be responsible for protecting that child online. Don’t give your kid your credit card number if you don’t want people to know it, don’t give your kid a smart phone and let them “check-in” everywhere and anywhere if you don’t want people to know where they are. It all seems pretty standard, and pretty common sense. I don’t know why a lawmaker needs to step in. Be responsible for yourself and those who you are responsible for, if you are, the likelihood of negative repercussions is going to be reduced.

From a public relations point of view, practitioners have the responsibility of upholding ethical standards at all times. Dealing with mobile apps is not without ethical implications and best practices should always be followed.