In her final episode, Oprah was asked if there was a common thread throughout her 25 years on the air. As she reflected on decades of interactions and interviews she distilled it down to one thing all of here guests shared:

I’ve talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation. If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?’

Understanding that one principle, that everybody wants to be heard, has allowed me to hold the microphone for you all these years.

This morning, as I woke to the news that the aggressive push to pass the controversial SOPA bill had been suspended (even if temporarily), I was reminded of the above sentiment.

In a post highlighting this change of direction on SOPA, the Examiner notes:

The online protests about the bill were surprising and large. They ranged anywhere from calling Representatives, companies, and senators to get them to change their mind, to actively moving domain’s away from and targeting the business model of the companies that supported/lobbied for the bill. GoDaddy lost well over 100,000 domains in the space of about 10 days due to their involvement with these bills, along with other various targets. Reddit in particular has been influential in turning the tide against SOPA and PIPA, and is a good demonstration of how the Internet enables Democracy.

I’m sure there were other forces at work that helped push the White House to take a position on the bill over the weekend, but the groundswell of activity from the technology community was certainly a factor.

As I engaged on this issue, I was blown away at the tools and resources that lowered the barrier for n00bs, like me, to be heard.

With just a few clicks I was able to find and contact my representatives and let them know my position on the bill. When there was new information available on arguments for or against the bill or proposed changes to the legislation, it spread like wildfire across my various social networks. Through these social networks and community sites, collective actions were organized and mobilized- from simply changing an avatar to moving domains to real world rallys and website blackouts. 

I know that there is still much work to be done and that these grassroots tools look like toys up against the power and influence of special interest groups and their lobbying dollars, but they’re an important and impactful start.

We’ve seen the power of these tools to organize and impact change on foreign soil. And now we’re seeing it on our own shores. 

It’s true that everyone wants to be heard, and today I’m especially grateful for the technologists and activists who are building the tools that allow us to be heard from the White House to the Senate floor.

Onward.