Many have suggested that the Rep Weiner scandal points to the famous Lord Acton saying — “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” — Lord Acton.
But there is another lesson to be drawn from his embarrassments.
Technology has brought the Town Square back in a virtual, but very real way.
In the days of Yore, everyone in a town knew the business of everyone else. Bad behavior was kept in check because everyone knew the business of everyone else. Your entire network was well defined and ubiquitous. You could not hide.
But the the 20th century enabled anonymity. We were more mobile — and could run from our troubles.
We were more nuclear and withdrawn from our larger family and community. Housing went from generations living together to only direct families living together.
We had new media in our homes – to keep us entertained alone. Telephones and newspapers replaced gossip as the prime communications tool. Why bother trying to learn what your neighbor was doing when you could learn what a country half way around the world was doing.
But the 21st century and social media is bringing the Town Square future from the past. The interconnectedness of the web and social media applications make it nearly impossible to hide, unless of course you opt out of all such interaction. Weiner’s naivete (or his cyring out for help) suggests that the Town Square of social media can and will bring down anyone in power who abuses that it, even when that abuse does not actually violate laws, but accepted behaviors.
Will this interconnectedness bring with it an improvement in our social interactions? Will social media continue to erode the anonymity of your actions?
As Rep Weiner has learned you can lie, but you cannot hide.