...for all that communication technologies can do to transform revolutions in ways that tip the balance in favor of the people, there are critical elements of change that these tools cannot effect. Principal among them is the criterion of first-rate leaders, individuals who can keep the opposition intact during tough times, negotiate with a government if it opts for reform, or run for office, win and deliver on what the people want if a dictator flees. Technology has nothing to do with whether an individual has the attributes to fill the role of a statesman. (pp. 128-129)
...large numbers of ...people, armed with little more than mobile phones, can fuel revolutions that challenge decades of authority and control, hastening a process that has historically taken years. It 's now clear how technology platforms can play a prominent role in toppling dictators when used resourcefully. ...it's also clear that it's the people who make or break revolutions, not the tools they use. Traditional components of civil society will become even more important as online crowds swarm the virtual public square, because while some of the newly involved participants (like activist engineers) will be highly relevant and influential, many more... will be little more than amplifiers and noise generators along for the ride. (p. 129)
Future revolutions will produce many celebrities, but this aspect of movement-making will retard the leadership development necessary to finish the job. Technology can help find the people with leadership skills --thinkers, intellectuals and others --but it cannot create them. Popular uprisings can overthrow dictators, but they are successful afterwards only if opposition forces have a good plan and can execute it.
Otherwise the result is either a reconstruction of the old regime or a transition from a functioning regime to a failed state. Building a Facebook page does not constitute a plan; actual operational skills are what will carry a revolution to a successful conclusion. (p. 129)
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The downside of an acceleration in the pace of a movement is that organizations and their ideas, strategies and leaders have a far shorter gestation period. History suggests that opposition movements need time to develop, and that the checks and balances that shape an emergent movement ultimately produce a stronger and more capable one, with leaders who are more in tune with the population they intend to inspire. (p. 130)
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Successful leaders with ties to the diaspora will be the ones who adopt a sort of hybrid model, whereby the desires of the virtual and physical constituencies are both addressed and somehow reconciled. Winning over and making use of both of these groups will be a challenge, but it will be critical for sustainable leadership in the digital age. (p. 135)
Source:
Schmidt, Eric & Cohen, Jared. (2013).
The New Digital Age—Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and
Business. (Alfred A. Knopf, NY), pp.129-135.
