The growing realm of social media is greatly increasing the pace in which information is passed around the world.  Instantaneous messages are able to inform people of what is happening in different parts of the world in a matter of seconds.  This is particularly true with the social networking site “Twitter.”  The Twitter Revolution was so named because of the frequency that Twitter was used by Iranians to report news, coordinate protests, and air their grievances.

The relatively recent revolution in Iran is a key example of how Twitter is changing the media paradigm.  The revolution in Iran was about a supposed “rigged election” in which more people supported Hossein Mousavi for President, yet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won.  This occurred on June 12, 2009 and ended on February 11, 2010.

The Iranian Twitter Revolution was a modern day attempt at a revolt against the government, as opposed to past revolutions, such as the French Revolution in which weapons were used to overthrow the government, now there is media.  I believe that Twitter has allowed for the oppressed people of Iran to voice their opinions and fight against the government for what they believe to be right.  The presenters, Casey Medina and Pete Markel, mentioned that there are “23 million Iranians have access to the Internet and over 45 million people own mobile phones.”  In essence, this allowed for Iranians to connect to one another during the revolution.  Other social networking sites were used as well, including Facebook and YouTube, however,Twitter was the site that seemed to be the most vital for the rapid spreading of information.  This was especially since the revolution was never televised, but videos and pictures still spread because of social media.

However, because of this rapid spread and constant updating of information, the Iranian government revoked press credentials, and blocked the Internet in hopes of stopping the revolution from becoming worldwide knowledge.  Nonetheless, this did not halt the outgoing flow of information as the UK stepped in to help by posting different IP addresses to help keep Iran connected.  This is very much like the ban of Facebook and YouTube in China, where they have been blocked since 2009.  Ironically, China is also where 20% of Facebook’s application development is.  In my opinion, individuals who attempted to get around the blocking of the Internet in Iran put themselves at a risk, as the government could have taken the necessary steps to suppress those individuals.  This could have happened through the tracking and following of certain IP addresses, although, because of the vast amount of people “tweeting” about this topic, it would still be extremely hard for the government to control.  Though, the government could still block the IP addresses from the UK if they were found, hence creating a type of “whack-a-mole” effect; as soon as an IP address would “pop up” the government would suppress it.

The evidence that Twitter as well as other social media sites are becoming the medium for democratic movements as such, are becoming increasingly apparent.  This can only continue to grow as technology continues to progress within society.

“I think Twitter’s a success for us when people stop talking about it, when we stop doing these panels and people just use it as a utility, use it like electricity.” – Jack Dorsey

By: Courtney Lee