Accurate laser-guided bombs and missiles, increasing intelligence, the Mother of All Bombs-all are part of the new military technology that is marking the U.S.’s first large-scale war in over a decade.
Not to be overlooked, however, is the new technology for the average person-the Internet-that is allowing people around the world to experience, protest, and support the war, all without leaving the comfort of home. This is the first time that the Internet is widely available during a military campaign of this magnitude.
When President Bush announced that the campaign in Iraq had started on Wednesday night, several news sites reported a spike in Internet traffic in the following hours.
According to News.com, Yahoo’s traffic on its news site jumped to about three times the average amount of traffic, while MSNBC reported an increase of two to two-and-a-half times normal levels.
In the first hour after the strikes began, Yahoo reported that “Iraq,” “Saddam Hussein,” “George W. Bush,” and “War in Iraq” were among some of its most popular search terms.
But the Internet also proved to be a valuable resource for people worldwide before the war officially began.
In the weeks leading up to the first military strikes in Iraq, websites such as MoveOn.org planned “virtual marches” on Washington, D.C., as well as some virtual protests against the impending war.
The marches consisted of protesters overwhelming the phone lines, e-mail inboxes, and fax machines of the Senate and the White House. MoveOn.org even offered a link to send a free fax to the U.S. Congress from the Internet.
In addition, war protesters have the option of electronically adding their names to the most recent “citizens’ declaration” petition, pledging to “redouble (their) efforts to put an end to the Bush Administration’s doctrine of pre-emptive attack and the reckless use of military power.”
Musicians in America are one of the largest groups taking advantage of the Internet as a way of protesting the war. The list of artists supporting an anti-war statement includes Sheryl Crow, Ani DiFranco, Missy Elliot, Dave Matthews, Natalie Merchant, and Lou Reed.
Those who support military action in Iraq also have the option of signing petitions online, at sites such as America’sVoices.org and PatriotPetitions.com, whose self-proclaimed mission is to “support our great nation by offering American Patriots an opportunity to challenge anti-American activists in media, politics, academia and culture.”
The Internet is also serving as a way for the entire world to get a firsthand look at what it is like to be living in Iraq as the U.S. and British forces move in. The latest trend is for Iraqis and American and British journalists to document their day-to-day life in weblogs (or blogs for short).
“When we want to Vietnam, television changed how people saw the war,” said Elizabeth Lawley, an assistant professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s department of information technology, in a News.com interview. “I think blogging is going to do the same for this war.”
Blogging also permits people for and against the Iraqi war to debate online and share their views with the world.
For example, one anti-war user from New York City on Warblogging.com wrote, “I have smelled, tasted and felt the grit of concrete mixed with cremated bone and flesh. I don’t want to ever smell, taste or feel such things again. I don’t want to ever again lose thousands of my neighbors on one day.”
As the war continues, people are likely to use the Internet because of the availability of streaming video, live feeds from Iraq and breaking news coverage, said News.com.
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