Is Individualism Dead?

In "Network", Howard Beale convinced 6 million of his viewers to write to the White House to stop a deal that was going to allow an Arab takeover of the Communication Corporation of America. In the following episode he described the act as a "radiant eruption of democracy", but he predicted that the success of the protest was not a sign of things to come. He argued that Democracy was dead, and that people were becoming dehumanized assembly line workers in a world of corporations, rather than nations. Beale's speech was inspired and influenced by the scolding lecture he received from Arthur Jensen, (who presumably was the head of the conglomerate that owned UBS), after Beale "meddled with the primal forces of nature" by stopping the Arab deal.
The point that Beale and Jensen made was that individuals were losing their power and value, but then Beale asked his audience to consider if dehumanization was good or bad. Obviously there is something wrong with humans becoming inhuman; in fact, before Beale was lectured by Jensen, 'individualism' was one of his show's premier preaching points. Jensen managed to convince him that "it is the international system of currency, which determines the totality of life on this planet." When in actuality, it is the poor management of currency, that leads to financial crises, which then encourages desperate and needy individuals to become dehumanized pawns for large corporations.
In a time when the media is dominated and controlled by just a handful of conglomerates, it is difficult for an individual with a unique vision to a rise. However, just as Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum has been able to transform his deserted hometown into a thriving city invested in the success of each of its citizens, the same is possible in journalism. Today's journalists have to be willing to take risks, and question or even expose apparent shady dealings by powerful entities, for the uninformed individual's sake. Aquiring knowledge is an interactive task, therefore news organizations must encourage feedback from their consumers. They should take advantage of the 'letter to the editor' feature and put more emphasis on it. Moreover, as the internet is becoming the leading medium in journalism, blogging is on the rise as an effective way for individuals to infiltrate and impact news coverage. As a matter of fact, there is even a popular online show called "Meet the Bloggers" that highlights unconventional opinions of various individuals. In reflection, today's individual only dies if he or she does not choose to live.