So this is a blog am sitting here writing that was on my mind anyway but has just been changed slightly thanks to a friends interesting film about East Germany (DDR) and it’s people. The film “My DDR T-shirt” explores the symbolism and the merge of East and West before and after the wall came down. More details can be found at
http://www.myddrtshirt.co.uk and the film should be available to view soon.
This Blog was to be about the reasons why social networks / web 2.0 haven’t changed the world as we know it. In the UK we have 3 main parties all promising the same but at a different angle, all slagging each other off like children. Each in it for there own gains. Elections where held in the UK last night with pitiful number bothering to vote. I honestly believe these number of none voting people are so high because they are bored of what the parties are offering and of the one’s that took the time and effort probably fall into 3 categories, one would be the “because I always vote for them”, another would be “They are the best of a bad bunch though they don’t have much in common with myself” and the last would be “the true believer in their policy’s”.
The title of this blog was going to be why hasn’t Social networks changed the world, but after watching Ian’s (creator of My DDR T-shirt) film and being a child of the cold war, it brought many memory’s back. I was born into a poor family, growing up I because friends with somebody called John Braddock. His family where heavily involved in the Labour movement and incredibly generous, looking back on it now I understand the reason for the generosity a lot more and appreciate it more then I could ever explain. Anyway I spent many a day and night with the Braddock’s in this political hotbed and I learnt a lot about Socialism and Communism. I witnessed many things in the Braddock house, such as the Berlin wall coming down, Nelson Mandela being set free and Labour winning government off the Tories for the first time in many years. But I also learnt the values of sharing and giving when you have plenty to those that do not. Seeing the DDR film and the people from East Germany was interesting because to me they seem to display a sadness of loss, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a family member who’s passed away and their memories would have you crying your eyes out. No it was a lost dream, a being apart of something that you could never be apart of again. Or a family pet, it wasn’t your pet it was everybody’s pet, but as an individual you feel you loved it that bit more and the pet loved you that bit more then everybody else, so you miss it more.
But back to the point, now we have a communications tool to pool ideas, be out spoken; right the wrongs of our fathers and mothers. I hope people grasp it for what it is, an opportunity for something new.
