Week 6 - Did Iran save Twitter, or did Twitter save Iran?

William Anthony Semler

MyTube

June 30, 2009

Week 6 – Twitter vs. Iran, vs. Iran vs. Twitter

 

              I’ve spent a better part of my afternoon catching up on the latest news regarding the Iranian election, and boy was there a lot to read from various outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, Twitter, Facebook,  Telegraph UK, The Guardian UK, The Huffington Post, BBC America, and so on. I hate to admit it, but it took me several entries from NYTimes.com’s The Lede blog to understand that Moussavi had won the election and that green is the color that is representing his victory and regime. Now that I’ve got that over with . . .

              I’d like to say that I feel that Iran has saved Twitter, and here is why:

• The tumultuous events in Iran have allowed for a unified community to form on Twitter. This community is one that abhors crimes against humanity and democracy committed by the government of Iran.
• Those users that are in the mix, so to say, in Iran, are giving Twitter a useful purpose, and that is to reach out to others that have the power and opportunity to make a difference. This audience is also letting the world know how they feel and what is happening as it happens, as the Iranian government so wrongly censors its media. (This as opposed to stuck-up celebrities who use Twitter to mark their whereabouts.)

 

              The American modern society is open to reforming relations with Iran, but there are many facets and sides that have solid opinions and experiences with this communist government. Twitter is a site that enables thoughts, feelings, facts, and opinions flow freely. Not that these are all valuable sources, but now with communities defined, Twitter as a social networking tool can now aid in the reformation of the new Iranian revolution.