It\u2019s the Fourth of July again.<\/p>\n
It’s almost a quarter-millennium<\/a> since the founders built our nation on word and argument. The Internet, our latest test of their experiments, has me thinking about what preoccupied their work of liberty and equality: the value of the small voice.<\/p>\n In their fight to hear one another\u2019s voices, yet anoint no single voice, they built a system to ensure their open discourse would continue. They believed in the minority voice because they championed minority ideas themselves.<\/p>\n To them, a mob of people posed as great a threat to the small voice as a king on a throne. I\u2019ve written about how each of us as an author needs readers to help us with our blind spots<\/a>. The founders, as authors of the Declaration and the Constitution, wrote readers and their feedback into law.<\/p>\n George Washington rejected first crown and then presidency; the power was forced on him<\/a>. Maybe that\u2019s what the voting public needs to start doing: knocking down the doors of individuals who don\u2019t want the job of President.<\/p>\n None of the founders trusted themselves with power. In this, they are more self-aware than all of us today\u2014which is why they still matter. They built a government of checks and balances, so that even the persecuted, the disenfranchised, and the unpopular would be heard.<\/p>\n Few in history have given so much respect to their critics and doubts.<\/p>\n America has an old, intuitive faith in the greatness of humble beginnings. We championed the viral idea long before we gave it a name. It\u2019s held true for our science and culture, for our religion and society\u2014small voices and their readers have cured disease<\/a>, established civil rights, and built the computer.<\/p>\n Alongside our polarizations and prejudices, an inclination towards diversity of thought endures in every corner of the States. Every special interest knows their next important idea could come from anyone and keeps the channels open. Even our most conservative causes find themselves seeking \u201cmavericks<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Just a few weeks ago, I wrote how I placed the word \u201cvoice\u201d in the title of my course (and book) for both its classic literary meaning and its evolving meaning online<\/a>. We used to think of a writer\u2019s voice and collected works as a manifestation of inner wisdom and character.<\/p>\n Online, the public acts of blogging and posting reveal how authors build a voice creatively through trial and error rather than finding it wholly within.<\/p>\n I hear the word all the time now. How did she find her voice? Do they have a relevant voice? That cause needs a stronger voice. As our cultural conversation has moved from 24-hour news channels to 24-hour mobile devices, we\u2019ve become preoccupied with who\u2019s being heard and who isn\u2019t\u2014not because of censorship, but because of the growing commotion.<\/p>\n Small voices can\u2019t have an impact without an audience and they can’t have a significant impact without reaching the entire audience. Despite our fear that democracy will fade behind a static of fake news and fanatics, our best minds are already inspired and facing the problem. We will find new ways to divide the knowledge from the noise.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what we\u2019re witnessing right now. What seems like chaos is just the checks and balances system catching up with everyone\u2019s ability to publish and broadcast.<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost four months since we learned about Cambridge Analytica\u2019s misuse of Facebook data<\/a> and almost three months since Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress<\/a>, and yet no one has deleted Facebook<\/a>. Their stock continues to rise.<\/p>\n Facebook continues to succeed because it promises everyone the megaphone. Users don\u2019t have to build a website or develop a strong voice to speak to their community on Facebook. They might worry about privacy and manipulation, but they worry more about being heard.<\/p>\n Six in ten Americans vote in presidential elections<\/a>\u2014sometimes its closer to five in ten. Seven in ten use social media<\/a>\u2014sometimes its closer to eight in ten.<\/p>\n This enduring promise of the Web, and by extension Facebook, shouldn\u2019t go unnoticed or underestimated by Facebook or any other social media platform, software company, or institution. The Internet is in a direct line from the founders\u2019 words and arguments and our ongoing investment in them.<\/p>\n If that promise were ever to fade, if people couldn\u2019t share and receive their posts successfully in their small worlds\u2014and if they didn\u2019t believe their ideas still had the potential to reach larger audiences or \u201cgo viral\u201d\u2014any online platform might suffer. Social media will live or die based on its ability to not just amplify, but to improve our individual messages and collective conversations.<\/p>\n The Internet, the nation, and the small voices will restore their impact.<\/p>\n The founders\u2019 small voices ensured that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s the Fourth of July again. It’s almost a quarter-millennium since the founders built our nation on word and argument. 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