Point of View By Paul Montesino

When social media wasn’t…Social

If you are old enough, you can remember when the concept of “free” social media wasn’t available.

These days, even in societies controlled by governments that are not comfortable with free expression or news or rumors, it is becoming more difficult to suppress them.

In the past, people had to resort to tricks in one way or another if they wanted to spread their truth. I have an example to prove it.

The month was December of 1958, in Havana, Cuba. The press was subject to strict censorship by the government of Fulgencio Batista. And the opposition was having all kinds of problems spreading their nasty attacks or even their most innocent opinions against the status quo. Newspapers, radio, or television stations had to submit every word they published to the vultures of truth.

One day, a group submitted a new publicity campaign that awoke the censors’ curiosity. Its name was “03C.” The words went to the leading newspapers, magazines, radio, and television stations with a simple explanation: It is a new product. 

The opposition wanted to create an effective tool that would convince the public to abstain from celebrating the arrival of the new 1959 year and contribute to the advance of the Castro rebel troops in the province of Santa Clara.

Once the public became tired of reading and listening to the 03C word, the cat was now out of the bag. The slogan meant Zero (0) Cine (0 Movie Theatres), Compras (0 Purchases), and 0 Cabarets. It was the sneakiest way to fool the censors and make them feel like… fools.

Batista and close trusted advisors would leave the country on New Yenoar’s Eve, and the rebels took over the country. No one made any fuss about 03C. It would take several years until the tired Cuban population started to create ways to express their political unhappiness using the new social media tools available on the Internet. Dictators also try to control social media by spreading rumors or creating artificially intelligent bots. We wonder how that will turn out.

And that is my POV today, er.. Point Of View. So Long.