Temoch-cracy

The ancient Greek philosophers must be smiling in their chambers, but for todays politicians, autocratic rulers, big money capitalists and feudal desperados, the rise of social media is a Hydra of super sorts. Just when they think that they have lopped off a head, not two but several new ones emerge.
In January 2001, loyalists in the Philippine Congress voted to set aside key evidence against Philippine President Joseph Estrada. Less than two hours after the decision, mobile text messages, "Go 2 EDSA. Wear blk" helped rally thousands of protestors leading up to a million protestors over the few days.
In 2007, the Austrian media supported the Conservative party and its Prime Minister, "going so far as to selectively report and distort the results of their own polls", according to a 2010 University of Maryland study on social media.
But - the study notes - blogs and other online social networks played a large part by providing contrasting views to balance the media coverage. "Months of persistent efforts by bloggers and citizen journalists in Australia to neutralise and counteract news media industry spin in political reporting left leaders of the journalism industry in an uneasy jittery mood," the study said.
In 2010, the Arab world saw a revolutionary spring, toppling decade-old autocratic regimes. The key nutrient in that spring was social media and electronic mobile messaging.
In 2011, Wall Street bosses felt a shock when protestors occupied a park in New Yorks financial district with a slogan that "We are the 99 percent". The slogan resonated across the world - taking the shape of Occupy Movement that hit 82 countries in a months time. The movement achieved little due to lack of specific achievable goals, but it did alter the political debate.
More recently in Turkey, the authorities invited scathe upon themselves, when they tried to silence the protesters raising voices against urban development plans. What followed was a social media onslaught that gave sleepless nights to Turkish authorities.
Here in Pakistan, death sentences were handed to Shahrukh Jatoi and Siraj Talpur for killing Shahzeb Khan in Karachi six months ago. This credit to this delivery of justice too goes to social media that kept pushing the agenda against an economic class that usually gets away with what it wants.
These are just some of the many examples that should be ringing alarm bells in the traditional corridors of power: be it the politicians, autocratic rulers, big businesses, or the feudal lot; and be it at home or abroad, there seems to be no escaping from it.
They can use social media for their benefit, as did Barack Obama, Imran Khan in their political campaigns - or as do corporations and main stream media for making their products or their opinions viral across different sections of the society. But they cannot abuse it for their benefit.
In todays technology-led world, local and global societies are connected in a way like never before in human history. Temoch-cracy - the amalgam of democracy and technology - is becoming the new game in town.
And for politicians and governments - especially in backward and repressive regimes - there seems to be little option but to yield to it. They can either adapt to these changing political realities by allowing collaboration, participation, empowerment and transparency or be ready to be toppled sooner or later.