The Weblog Boing Boing has an entry up today about the role of Text Messaging in spreading awareness about SARS in the early days of the outbreak. In case you didn't remember, when new of the first couple cases in Beijing broke China's government characteristically denied as much as they could. Only when people connected to the early cases of the virus spread the word grass roots style through their cell phone networks, did the government fess up. In a token to the outraged west, the upper level beauracracy sacked some of the lower level beauracracy. Now the Chineese government is arresting citizens for using text messaging to spread information about the virus. Information that the government is calling "seditious rumor". A great example of the use of the cell phone at generating social networks that could not exist otherwise.
Posted by matt at June 16, 2003 11:53 PM