They are Us: The 5th Element

Increased influence heralds the emergence of a 5th estate. It is the unique collection of ingredients that separates it from the 4 other spheres of power: World Wide Web medium; social media; real-time accessible global within group and external interaction; net neutrality; and the 5th element–one distinguishing it from other attempts to define this group–distinctly unique voices. Referred to as “that mustard seed” contribution by each member in my previous post, this 5th element is seminal to the developing role as an additional player in self-governance and its evolved form today. The analogy refers to the ability and potential of the tiny seed growing to a large size no matter where it lands even if the results were not the intent. Once grown, its branches make well-hidden perches for many different birds.

A strong argument for the natural progression of an evolving 4th estate can be made since the invention of the printing press enabled its emergence as watchdog of the state. The ability to share secure information enabled each group to assert power, however, and increased literacy with access to information allows each to exist and grow; therefore the ability to communicate efficiently in written form enables one to belong to an estate, but does not distinguish a separate division. Further, the web enables the illiterate to engage by readily transmitting  audio and video messages. Social media sites like YouTube and Facebook cooperate to connect people and ideas that can be easily recorded, uploaded and available worldwide in minutes.

Social media empowers the 5th estate and allows the individual viewpoint to be heard interactively. However, again it is not unique to this group as other power groups become aware of its capabilities. These groups are not well-suited to influence members of other estates via social media interaction as the uniform message like that presented in the preceding link serve as a bread crumb trail to groupthink assertions. Further, the idea of live, interactive media is not new. Global social media is as old as the telephone and international dialing and the access to mass audiences through radio remains popular. Still, a telephone call is limited in its scope and a radio broadcast by time and the bias and censorship of the broadcaster.

Independent thoughts and ideas remain the key designator as they create the sum of mass conscience and wisdom. As tiny as a mustard seed might be or insignificant as a thought may appear, when collected among a group unaffiliated except for the access to the Internet and desire to be heard, it can evolve into something unintended, but ultimately reflective of the collective will of many. This mass assertion carries weight among those in a position to give action to those words, and unlike its counterparts, the feedback is both immediate and gradual as ideas are honed by little mustard seeds from the crowd until they grow to seed new ideas.

They are Us: The 5th Estate

 

Careful what you say. People will listen.

By way of introduction, Media Psychology: They are Us references the explosion of social media as a form of global communication complete with all the polarized viewpoints. It is my hope to engender conversation among individuals that find it difficult to contain their passion, yet have a desire to engage in dialog without the provocations found in media messages that attempt to disguise an agenda. Here is found a repository for sharing thoughts and exploring myriad ideas freely and openly. I will get the conversation going by posting weekly blogs on topics I hope will interest you, the reader. Strike that–you, the participant. Science has peer-reviewed journals that perpetually challenge research. Here, the peers are boundless and for each reader, a unique set of metrics applied that must only satisfy the standards they bring. I will include wiki links to point you to further research, and link more thorough findings when possible. My return on investment is an enjoyable and respectful debate; an understanding of different points of view and observations; and a collection of anecdotal data that supports my contention that social media is the next step in the evolution of self-government: the 5th Estate.

¿Por qué “La Finca quinto”

Estates of the realm originated in Middle Age Europe and defined class from highest to lowest ranking. After the fall of the Roman Empire & the chaos that ensued, the Church sought to consolidate power and re-establish order. Through alliances with the wealthy, and thus well-armed, they established rule anointed by divine authority that could only come from God. Who could argue with that? The first estate, therefore, included all clergy; the second included nobility & royalty other than the king; and the third, well, pretty much everybody else. Remember that part about divine authority coming from God? Turns out that spot was reserved for the king, hence the obedience to his authority. It seems in those days, checks and balances relied a lot on conscience and fear. We have to time travel to the 18th century to see another estate−the 4th−established as government evolved post Magna Carta into a more rigorously challenged entity:  The press.  Crossing an ocean, the US Constitutional form of government has 3 secular branches one might describe in terms of estates (executive, judicial & legislative) with the press’ role in the 4th estate firmly established by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.

This brings us to the 21st and the emergence of what some argue is a 5th Estate. I am worthless advocate to the ideas shown in the preceding link as I only just found this reference at this writing. (This coming together of similar, but separate thoughts plays an important role to which I will return momentarily.) I will say several suggestions defining a 5th estate fall short, at first glance.

1. Trade unions operate as a political entity equivalent to the 3rd estate.
2. Pundits and media operating in opposition to the mainstream are still profit-driven organizations whose goal it is to become mainstream, thus they remain in the 4th estate.
3. Organized crime exists outside the laws governing society, a status antithetical to the idea of governance rendering them non-participants and thus unaffiliated.

This brings us to the remarkable tool called the Internet (not the 5th estate) that allows universal access to information that flows freely (almost there, but not quite); bloggers like me to self-publish (getting really hot); and real-time interaction with independent users (ding! ding! ding!). Add a touch of skepticism and curiosity, and you have the ingredients for a thoroughly cooked 5th estate. The great thing about connectivity to this living organism we call the World Wide Web is the ability to conceive of an idea, place it into the “cyber-incubator” that is social media, and watch it develop as it marries another person’s wandering idea, which in turn sires offspring that may never have been born had there not been this Internet dating service of sorts. Therein lies the singularly most important element of a 5th estate: Independent thought. Lots of it.

E pluribus unum

This Latin phrase recognized most often as the motto on the Seal of the United States has its beginnings in ancient Rome and has been attributed to artists and philosophers alike. “Out of many, one” is an appropriate allusion to the many colonies/states/immigrants/ethnicities that combined to make a nation. As its meaning has evolved, it only seems natural that it expand its reach in the 21st century on a global scale. Earlier I mentioned the importance of similar, but separate thoughts coming together. Social media accessed on the World Wide Web, the face of the Internet, does not constitute a 5th estate. The way we use these tools and how we present ourselves represents a newly emerging estate of power.

As the sum of all human knowledge gathers in a “cloud,” the concept of “original idea” is undergoing a thorough examination. By necessity, there is a portion of our creative thought we must simultaneously give credit to another and selflessly gift to the community writ large. What remains with us, however, is that tiny mustard seed that only our unique self can contribute according to each individual’s personal journey to the point of creation. This is the element−the 5th element, if you will−that must be arbiter of the words each commits herein and is necessary to define a 5th estate. The irony of this new estate is its existence depends upon its members being independent in thought; open to suggestion; skeptical of words; fearless in speech; thoughtful in voice; disconnected; unrepresentative; married to conviction; divorced of ideology; grounded in belief; and motivated by discovery.

In short, it must be you.