North Korea’s Digital Revolution

North Korea Getting Digital: Even with severely regulated Internet access and U.S. bans on export to North Korea of luxury items such as iPhones and iPads, North Korea is entering a phase of digital revolution, and it seems the North Korean government has something to do with it — who would have thought? The government has been stressing the importance of science and technology. For example, “breaking through the cutting edge” is a new slogan that has been popularized through state media outlets along with references to “CNC” (computer numerical control), and in North Korea’s New Year’s editorial, the government underlined the importance of technology in this “IT era.” It’s a pretty progressive move for North Korea, but South Korea and others doubt the motives behind the North Korean government’s encouragement of IT and suspect cyber-warfare strategy has something to do with it. Either way, it seems the people of North Korea are excited about the Internet and all the information, communication and job opportunities it provides access to.  North Koreans caused a stir last year when they created accounts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube with the username “Uriminzok,” Korean for “our people.” This is probably not the kind of “breakng through the cutting edge” that Kim Jong Il or Kim Jong-un have in mind, but hopefully North Koreans will gain more and more access to the Web with less and less restrictions. Good luck! The Kansas City Star

Social Stats: Do you live in a social city? NetProspex, a sales and marketing database company, has released its annual “Social Business Report,” which measures and analyzes cities’ social media activity across nine major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. See who took the number one spot. HuffPo