Texting the unrest in the Philippines

The are called the Global Capital of Texting. And they text a lot. So much in fact that former president Joseph Estrada was toppled in 2001 by protests that were organised and orchestraed via SMS.

Now they are at it again. The Philippines are in a political crisis, and messages are "on the move", spreading rumours, and real news.

All this shows governments that they need to be able to manage news in a much faster way than traditionally done. It is no longer enough to wait for a suitable time to call the press to release an official news or press release. The news is permanent, urgent, needs constant monitoring in cyberspace and instant reaction from leaders and governors. Off- and onsite.

Otherwise, unwanted messages get out of hand, into cyberspace, and then, there is hardly any stopping. Just ask President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who tries to claw her way out of a crisis or Erap, the former Philippine President. Or just see how tough it was to get the messages under control in the recent spat between China and Japan.

The world has changed - have you woken up already?

(By Asia Business Consulting)