China is (unintentionally) promoting democracy abroad

An important amount of newspapers and news editions on TV here in Spain are increasingly promoting the participation of the audience. If you are involved in the news and if you can take a picture or capture a video of it you are very welcome to send it to the news editor. Some of these news groups are also offering cash in return, something that can create important perverse incentives. Here and here you can find some examples (if you enlarge the picture attached you will see one of these ordinary reporters capturing the news!).

This new capability is possible thanks to the affordability of mobile phones. (Almost) everybody has a mobile phone, and a great majority of these communication devices now bring a high-definition camera on it. The funny thing about all of this is that most of these mobiles phones and the majority of the components in them are being manufactured in China, the main reason explaining the low cost of them (the decreasing price of these type of products also explains the contention of inflation in developed countries given the hike in oil prices!).

It is funny... whereas in developed countries information and communication technologies (ICTs) are promoting transparency and participation, the country where most of these products are made is still characterised by the lack of transparency and democracy. Certainly, China is promoting democracy abroad! Unintentionally though!