Donald Trump complained of the media again, which evidently dislike him, we speak particularly about “New York Times” and “Washington Post”. He implies – you write bad things about me, but the people love me instead. Well, I do not know, maybe they love me, although the surveys tell that the rank of the incumbent US President is rather low.
But Trump this time rebuked not only the media but also… Facebook, which, according to him, has organized a conspiracy together with the aforementioned “enemy” newspapers against the current American government. That political figure, as well as the majority of people over 70 living in various corners of the world, do not understand that what Facebook is – he thinks it is a media creating self-content, which can be for or against him. In reality, Facebook is more like a fence on which one can write disrespectful expressions (as it is usually done), but one can write the wisest thoughts of the philosophers of the world. It is true that such thoughts may not be read in line with sexual swearing and moreover, the ones loving swearing may get angry on it. But Facebook is the wall where there are “corners” for all, including Trump or, for example, Putin’s fans and the ones disliking him. The wall is neutral, it is indifferent towards whether swearing or appraisals are written on it. Or, if we do another comparison, for transportation means it is not important whether you transfer potatoes or pineapples.
But the whole issue is that in the conditions of Facebook and websites the whole structure of the media field is changed. Turning to the Armenian reality, let us record: now it is not the first half of 90s when “Golos Armenii (Armenia’s voice)” and “Yerkir (world)” were solely criticizing the authorities and “Hayq (old name of Armenia, tr.)” and “Hayastani Hanrapetutyun (the Republic of Armenia)” merely appraising it, and it had a great influence on the society. “Pro-governmental” and “opposition” characterizations which were wrong itself by the usage of the media, now are even more senseless. Do you want to write a 5-floor swearing on the authorities, write it if you like, you want to do it with a certain regularity, open a website, do whatever you want to. You are a media or not – God knows. If the line lacks then the division of “determination” is not in place either. “Are you a struggling type?” you are welcome, struggle “on the wall”, you do not need newspapers and TV channels any longer. You put yourself in line with “the ones aggrieved from life”, “damaged from injustice”? you do not need to go to the journalist and tell him/her about your “grieves”, switch on your computer and cry as much as you want to. In this situation, everything is not got in a mess as some people think, but the opposite – “it is washed with clear water”. It is just now that the time for a real journalism comes, the time to spread news, the demand for an art to tell history. It is another question how you spread this story – “by foot” or via printed newspaper, with a “carriage” – TV and radio or “truck” – the internet. It seems to me that all ways should be in place.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
Dear Editor, please research and study the topics you are writing about, especially topics that deal with foreign countries and politics. Your column shows that your knowledge about recent American presidential election, current politics and use of Facebook outside Armenia and especially in US is very limited. Writing an uninformed column is disservice to your readers. Although I disagree with most things Trump says no one, even his ardent opponents deny that he is a marketing genius especially how he uses social media in business and politics. I can argue no one understands the power of social media and uses it as effectively as he does. Best wishes.