I once said, "If you want to liberate a society, all you need is the Internet." I was wrong.
我曾經說過, 「如果你想解放一個社會, 你所需要的只是網絡。」 我錯了。
I said those words back in 2011, when a Facebook page I anonymously created helped spark the Egyptian revolution. The Arab Spring revealed social media's greatest potential, but it also exposed its greatest shortcomings. The same tool that united us to topple dictators eventually tore us apart. I would like to share my own experience in using social media for activism, and talk about some of the challenges I have personally faced and what we could do about them.
這句話是我在 2011 年時說的, 當時我匿名建立了 一個 Facebook 主頁, 它協助觸發埃及革命。 「阿拉伯之春」展現了 社群媒體的巨大潛力, 但也同時暴露出它的最大缺陷。 團結凝聚我們推倒獨裁者的工具 最終也將我們分裂。 我想分享一下我自己用社群媒體 來積極推動變革的經驗, 並討論一些我個人遇過的難題 以及我們可以怎麼克服它們。
In the early 2000s, Arabs were flooding the web. Thirsty for knowledge, for opportunities, for connecting with the rest of the people around the globe, we escaped our frustrating political realities and lived a virtual, alternative life. Just like many of them, I was completely apolitical until 2009. At the time, when I logged into social media, I started seeing more and more Egyptians aspiring for political change in the country. It felt like I was not alone.
在 2000 年代初期, 許多阿拉伯人湧入網路世界, 渴望得到知識和機會, 與世界各地的人建立連結, 我們逃離令人沮喪的政治現況, 過著一個被虛擬世界所取代的生活。 和其中許多人一樣,我完全 不關心政治,直到 2009 年。 那個時候,當我登入社群媒體, 開始看見越來越多的埃及人 渴望國家的政治改變。 這讓我感到自己並不孤單。
In June 2010, Internet changed my life forever. While browsing Facebook, I saw a photo, a terrifying photo, of a tortured, dead body of a young Egyptian guy. His name was Khaled Said. Khaled was a 29-year-old Alexandrian who was killed by police. I saw myself in his picture. I thought, "I could be Khaled."
2010 年 6 月, 網路從此改變了我的人生。 在瀏覽 Facebook 時, 我看到了一張十分可怕的照片, 是一具被虐待致死的屍體, 一位埃及年輕男子的屍體。 他的名字叫做哈立德‧薩伊德。 哈立德是個住在亞歷山大城的 29 歲青年,他被警察殺害。 在他的照片裡我看到了自己。 我想:「我也可能是下一個哈立德。」
I could not sleep that night, and I decided to do something. I anonymously created a Facebook page and called it "We are all Khaled Said." In just three days, the page had over 100,000 people, fellow Egyptians who shared the same concern. Whatever was happening had to stop.
當晚我徹夜難眠, 決定不再袖手旁觀。 我匿名建立了一個 Facebook 主頁, 叫做「我們都是哈立德‧薩伊德」 (We are all Khaled Said) 僅僅三天時間, 累積超過 10 萬個粉絲, 都是和我有一樣擔憂的埃及人。 無論是發生什麼事,它都必須被制止。
I recruited my co-admin, AbdelRahman Mansour. We worked together for hours and hours. We were crowdsourcing ideas from the people. We were engaging them. We were calling collectively for actions, and sharing news that the regime did not want Egyptians to know. The page became the most followed page in the Arab world. It had more fans than established media organizations and even top celebrities.
我聘用了我的共同管理人, 艾戴爾‧拉曼‧曼索。 我們花了許多時間一起工作。 我們從許多人身上集思廣益, 讓他們一起參與。 我們號召群眾一起行動, 分享當局不希望埃及人知道的新聞。 這個主頁成為阿拉伯世界裡 最多人追蹤的主頁, 擁有比出版媒體、 甚至當紅明星更多的粉絲。
On January 14, 2011, Ben Ali fled out of Tunisia after mounting protests against his regime. I saw a spark of hope. Egyptians on social media were wondering, "If Tunisia did it, why can't we?" I posted an event on Facebook and called it "A Revolution against Corruption, Injustice and Dictatorship." I posed a question to the 300,000 users of the page at the time: "Today is the 14th of January. The 25th of January is Police Day. It's a national holiday. If 100,000 of us take to the streets of Cairo, no one is going to stop us. I wonder if we could do it."
2011 年 1 月 14 日, 班‧阿里在日漸增多的人民 發起對政府的抗議後逃出突尼西亞。 我看到了一絲希望的火花。 社群媒體上的埃及人心想, 「如果突尼西亞可以, 我們為何不行?」 我在 Facebook 上發佈了一個名為 「反貪腐、不公、獨裁革命」 在當時擁有 30 萬粉絲的主頁上, 我丟出一個問題: 「今天是 1 月 14 日。 1 月 25 日就是警察日了。 這是個全國的節日。 如果我們有 10 萬人走上開羅街頭, 沒有人能阻止我們。 我想知道我們能不能辦到。」
In just a few days, the invitation reached over a million people, and over 100,000 people confirmed attendance. Social media was crucial for this campaign. It helped a decentralized movement arise. It made people realize that they were not alone. And it made it impossible for the regime to stop it. At the time, they didn't even understand it. And on January 25th, Egyptians flooded the streets of Cairo and other cities, calling for change, breaking the barrier of fear and announcing a new era.
短短幾天內,這則邀請 被轉到超過 100 萬人手中, 且超過 10 萬人回覆確定參加。 社群媒體在這次活動中起了關鍵作用, 幫助一個分散式社會活動的崛起。 它讓大家覺得自己不是孤軍奮戰, 也讓當局無法制止這一切。 在那時,當局甚至無法理解。 然後 1 月 25 日,埃及人民 湧入開羅和其他城市的街道, 要求改革, 突破恐懼的藩籬, 宣告新時代的來臨。
Then came the consequences. A few hours before the regime cut off the Internet and telecommunications, I was walking in a dark street in Cairo, around midnight. I had just tweeted, "Pray for Egypt. The government must be planning a massacre tomorrow."
接著後果來了。 在當局切斷網路 和電信通訊的幾個小時前, 我於午夜時分走在 開羅一個陰暗的街道上, 當時我剛在推特上 發了一篇:「為埃及祈福。 政府肯定在策劃 明天展開一波大屠殺。」
I was hit hard on my head. I lost my balance and fell down, to find four armed men surrounding me. One covered my mouth and the others paralyzed me. I knew I was being kidnapped by state security.
我的頭突然遭到重擊。 我失去平衡並倒下, 然後發現有四個 全副武裝的人圍繞著我, 一個摀住我的嘴巴, 其他人則讓我動彈不得。 我知道我被國家安全局綁架了。
I found myself in a cell, handcuffed, blindfolded. I was terrified. So was my family, who started looking for me in hospitals, police stations and even morgues.
我發現自己被關在一個牢房裡, 被銬上手銬、蒙上眼罩。 我非常害怕。 我的家人也是, 他們開始四處找尋我, 在醫院、警察局、甚至停屍間。
After my disappearance, a few of my fellow colleagues who knew I was the admin of the page told the media about my connection with that page, and that I was likely arrested by state security. My colleagues at Google started a search campaign trying to find me, and the fellow protesters in the square demanded my release.
在我失蹤後, 知道我是那個主頁管理人的幾個同事 告訴媒體我和那個主頁的關係, 還有我可能被國家安全局拘捕的事情。 我在 Google 的同事發起 一個尋人活動,試圖找到我, 在廣場的示威群眾也要求釋放我。
After 11 days of complete darkness, I was set free. And three days later, Mubarak was forced to step down. It was the most inspiring and empowering moment of my life. It was a time of great hope. Egyptians lived a utopia for 18 days during the revolution. They all shared the belief that we could actually live together despite our differences, that Egypt after Mubarak would be for all.
經歷 11 天完全的黑暗後, 我重獲自由。 而在三天後, 穆巴拉克被迫下台。 這是我人生中最鼓舞、 最令我覺得充滿力量的時刻。 充滿希望的時刻。 革命期間,埃及人民 彷彿在烏托邦住了 18 天。 他們都有同樣的信念, 相信我們真能排除彼此 的不同,生活在一起, 相信穆巴拉克之後的埃及 會是個屬於全民的國度。
But unfortunately, the post-revolution events were like a punch in the gut. The euphoria faded, we failed to build consensus, and the political struggle led to intense polarization. Social media only amplified that state, by facilitating the spread of misinformation, rumors, echo chambers and hate speech. The environment was purely toxic. My online world became a battleground filled with trolls, lies, hate speech. I started to worry about the safety of my family. But of course, this wasn't just about me. The polarization reached its peak between the two main powers -- the army supporters and the Islamists. People in the center, like me, started feeling helpless. Both groups wanted you to side with them; you were either with them or against them. And on the 3rd of July 2013, the army ousted Egypt's first democratically elected president, after three days of popular protest that demanded his resignation.
但很不幸地, 革命後的事件如同 在我們胸口捶了一記重槌, 歡欣鼓舞逐漸退散, 我們未能成功建立共識, 政治鬥爭演變成極端的對立。 社群媒體純粹擴大了這個現象, 它加速傳播錯誤訊息、謠言、 助長迴聲室效應和仇恨言論。 整個環境變得非常有害。 我的網路世界變成充滿惡毒挑釁、 謊言和仇恨言論的戰場。 我開始擔心家人的安危。 但當然,這些不只和我有關。 兩個主要團體之間的對立達到最高峰- 軍隊支持者和伊斯蘭教徒。 夾在中間的人,例如我, 開始感到無助。 雙方都希望你和他們站在一起; 你不是同伴就是敵人。 而在 2013 年 7 月 3 日, 軍方罷黜了埃及第一任民選總統, 就在三天的群眾抗議, 要求他下台之後。
That day I made a very hard decision. I decided to go silent, completely silent. It was a moment of defeat. I stayed silent for more than two years, and I used the time to reflect on everything that happened, trying to understand why did it happen. It became clear to me that while it's true that polarization is primarily driven by our human behavior, social media shapes this behavior and magnifies its impact. Say you want to say something that is not based on a fact, pick a fight or ignore someone that you don't like. These are all natural human impulses, but because of technology, acting on these impulses is only one click away.
那天我做了一個非常困難的決定。 我決定沉默,完全地沉默。 那是個挫敗的時刻。 我保持沉默超過兩年, 並在這段期間反思每一件發生的事, 試著瞭解它們為何會發生。 我開始清楚, 對立一開始確實是 經由人類行為所驅使, 但社群媒體形塑整個發展演變, 並且擴大其影響力。 例如你想說一些不實的言論, 挑釁或忽略你不喜歡的人。 這些衝動都是人類的天性, 但由於科技, 將這些衝動轉為行動只需一個按鍵。
In my view, there are five critical challenges facing today's social media.
在我看來,面對今天的社群媒體, 我們有五個關鍵挑戰。
First, we don't know how to deal with rumors. Rumors that confirm people's biases are now believed and spread among millions of people.
第一,我們不知道如何處理謠言。 許多展現個人偏見的謠言 被廣為採信並傳播給上百萬人。
Second, we create our own echo chambers. We tend to only communicate with people that we agree with, and thanks to social media, we can mute, un-follow and block everybody else.
第二,我們打造了自己的回音場。 我們傾向只和自己認同的人溝通, 而真感謝社群媒體, 我們可以關閉通知、取消追蹤 並拒絕和其他人來往。
Third, online discussions quickly descend into angry mobs. All of us probably know that. It's as if we forget that the people behind screens are actually real people and not just avatars.
第三,線上討論很快 就演變成憤怒的暴民。 可能所有人都知道這點。 這就好像我們忘了 在螢幕背後的是活生生的人, 而不是阿凡達。
And fourth, it became really hard to change our opinions. Because of the speed and brevity of social media, we are forced to jump to conclusions and write sharp opinions in 140 characters about complex world affairs. And once we do that, it lives forever on the Internet, and we are less motivated to change these views, even when new evidence arises.
第四,改變意見變得非常困難。 因為社群媒體的傳播速度和言簡意賅, 我們被迫驟下結論, 並用 140 字的篇幅寫下犀利的觀點, (註:Twitter的字數限制為 140 字) 談論複雜的世界大事。 一旦這麼做, 這些言論就永久被留在網路上, 而我們也沒什麼動力去改變這些觀點, 即使有新的證據出現。
Fifth -- and in my point of view, this is the most critical -- today, our social media experiences are designed in a way that favors broadcasting over engagements, posts over discussions, shallow comments over deep conversations. It's as if we agreed that we are here to talk at each other instead of talking with each other.
第五 - 在我看來是最關鍵的一點 - 我們如今社群媒體的使用模式, 被設計成利於 快速傳播而非實際投入, 單方面貼文而非互相討論, 淺薄的評論而非深入的對話。 這就好像我們都同意 在此我們只需向對方放話, 而不是真正彼此交談。
I witnessed how these critical challenges contributed to an already polarized Egyptian society, but this is not just about Egypt. Polarization is on the rise in the whole world. We need to work hard on figuring out how technology could be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.
我目睹這些關鍵的難題 是如何讓已經對立的埃及社會雪上加霜, 但這也不只和埃及有關。 兩極化的對立在世界各地都在增加。 我們得努力想出辦法, 如何讓科技可以解決問題, 而不是成為問題的一部份。
There's a lot of debate today on how to combat online harassment and fight trolls. This is so important. No one could argue against that. But we need to also think about how to design social media experiences that promote civility and reward thoughtfulness. I know for a fact if I write a post that is more sensational, more one-sided, sometimes angry and aggressive, I get to have more people see that post. I will get more attention.
如今已有許多人爭論著 如何對抗線上騷擾, 並打擊惡毒挑釁的言論。 這非常重要, 沒有人能反對。 但我們也得想想, 如何設計社群媒體的模式, 讓它可以促進禮節、獎勵深思熟慮。 我很清楚地知道 當我貼出一則更加聳動、 更加偏向一邊、有時甚至 憤怒具攻擊性的文章時, 會有更多人看到這則貼文。 我將會吸引更多注意。
But what if we put more focus on quality? What is more important: the total number of readers of a post you write, or who are the people who have impact that read what you write? Couldn't we just give people more incentives to engage in conversations, rather than just broadcasting opinions all the time? Or reward people for reading and responding to views that they disagree with? And also, make it socially acceptable that we change our minds, or probably even reward that? What if we have a matrix that says how many people changed their minds, and that becomes part of our social media experience? If I could track how many people are changing their minds, I'd probably write more thoughtfully, trying to do that, rather than appealing to the people who already agree with me and "liking" because I just confirmed their biases.
但如果我們更加注重品質呢? 以下哪個比較重要: 是看到你寫的東西的總人數, 還是哪些具有影響力的人 在讀你寫的東西? 我們難道不能 讓大家有更多誘因投入對話, 而不是一直宣傳自己的觀點嗎? 或是獎勵大家閱讀 並回應與自己相左的觀點? 並且,讓「改變想法」 變成可被社會接納, 甚至可能獲得獎勵? 如果我們有個計算方程式,告訴我們 有多人少改變了他們的想法, 讓這成為社群媒體使用模式 的一部分呢? 如果我能追蹤有多少人正在改變想法, 我在發文時可能會更深思熟慮, 而不只是吸引已經同意我的觀點的人, 並因為我確認了 他們的偏見而被按「讚」。
We also need to think about effective crowdsourcing mechanisms, to fact-check widely spread online information, and reward people who take part in that. In essence, we need to rethink today's social media ecosystem and redesign its experiences to reward thoughtfulness, civility and mutual understanding.
我們也得想想有效集思廣益的機制, 針對廣為流傳的線上訊息進行查實, 並獎勵願意這麼做的人。 在本質上,我們得重新思考 今天的社群媒體生態, 並重新設計它的使用模式, 來獎勵深思熟慮、 守禮自持與彼此瞭解。
As a believer in the Internet, I teamed up with a few friends, started a new project, trying to find answers and explore possibilities. Our first product is a new media platform for conversations. We're hosting conversations that promote mutual understanding and hopefully change minds. We don't claim to have the answers, but we started experimenting with different discussions about very divisive issues, such as race, gun control, the refugee debate, relationship between Islam and terrorism. These are conversations that matter.
做為一個網路的信徒, 我和幾個朋友組成團隊, 開始一個新的計劃, 試著找出解答並探索更多可能性。 我們的第一個產品是一種 談話式的新社群平台。 我們主持一些有助彼此瞭解的對話, 希望能改變大家的想法。 我們並不求有所解答, 但我們開始試驗一些不同的討論, 針對一些非常爭議的議題, 例如種族、槍枝管制、 有關難民的爭論、 還有伊斯蘭與恐怖主義之間的關係。 這些都是重要的對談。
Today, at least one out of three people on the planet have access to the Internet. But part of this Internet is being held captive by the less noble aspects of our human behavior.
如今地球上至少有三分之一的人 能夠存取網路。 但網路的一部分 已經被人類行為中 不是那麼高尚的部分給俘虜了。
Five years ago, I said, "If you want to liberate society, all you need is the Internet."
五年前,我曾說: 「如果你要想解放一個社會, 你所需要的只是網路。」
Today, I believe if we want to liberate society, we first need to liberate the Internet.
今天,我相信如果我們想要解放社會, 我們必須先解放網路。
Thank you very much.
非常感謝各位。
(Applause)
(掌聲)