Posted on February 14, 2011
A new phrase has entered our lexicon, 'the twitter revolution'. First used in relation to the 2009 post-election protests in Iran, it is said to describe the power of social media – twitter, Face Book, You Tube, etc., - to organise and publicise opposition to the state in a highly controlled society.
The term has gained currency this year as the world watched events in the Arab world unfold in Tunisia and Egypt. But what role have social media really played?
Chris Roper, in an article in the Mail & Guardian, 4 to 11 February 2011 suggests that, "The true worth of social media lies not in its ability to make time pass in a blur but in its disruptive potential politically. All over the world, social media practitioners are using the power of the internet to fight despots, dictators, corrupt politicians, evil regimes and cellphone companies. They're also using it to bring knowledge and information to places where those essentials for civic action are sorely repressed."
Ethan Zuckerberg, one of the many commentators engaged in debating the role of social media in fermenting, organising or communicating revolution makes the point that "Iran's diaspora was especially effective at promoting the Green Movement to an online audience that followed tweets, Facebook posts, and web videos avidly, hungry for news from the front lines of the struggle. Tens of thousands of Twitter users turned their profile pictures green in solidarity with the activists, and hundreds set up proxy servers to help Iranians evade Internet filters." In Tunisia though, social media seems to have played a more critical role in facilitating communication inside the country. "Ben Ali's government tightly controlled all forms of media, on and offline. Reporters were prevented from traveling to cover protests in Sidi Bouzid, and the reports from official media characterized events as either vandalism or terrorism. Tunisians got an alternative picture from Facebook, which remained uncensored through the protests, and they communicated events to the rest of the world by posting videos to YouTube and Dailymotion. As unrest spread from Sidi Bouzid to Sfax, from Hammamet and ultimately to Tunis, Tunisians documented events on Facebook. As others followed their updates, it's likely that news of demonstrations in other parts of the country disseminated online helped others conclude that it was time to take to the streets. And the videos and accounts published to social media sites offered an ongoing picture of the protests to those around the world savvy enough to be paying attention."
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/14/the_first_twitter_revolution
This is an issue on ongoing discussion and while opinions differ radically, a number of common threads run through the debate.
When other (formal) media are silent, or silenced, social media takes over. Journalists were barred from reporting on Iranian protests. Egyptian authorities closed the internet in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the spread of reports about the revolutionary fervour gripping the country.
In both countries social media publicised the revolution, broadcasting events in real time giving the protests critical international visibility. Cynics say that without the outpouring of information of social media little attention would have been paid to these events in the Western world.
Indeed, some analysts have suggested that social media have been more influential in mobilizing international observers in solidarity rather than coordinating street protests.
Social media offer a seemingly unmediated, and immediate, view of events and give insight into personal responses and experiences rather than showing us the 'talking heads' of political analysts. Consider the images of Neda, the young Iranian woman whose dying moments were transmitted across the world via Twitter and You Tube bringing the personal horror of police brutality home with stark reality. Does this forge solidarity or establish connections between people on a very human level? Dare one suggest that there is a voyeuristic element at play here?
Social media certainly give voice to those who might otherwise remain unheard, or amplify popular opinion. Whether this matters to those who listen is another thing.
What is of particular interest to those of us engaged with the archive is the record that has been created of these protests. For the first time in history, researchers will be able to access and work with the observations of ordinary people, made on on spur of the moment.
One thing is certain, social media have transformed the way in which people connect with each other mobilise and bring about change - and record it all for posterity..
Jo-Anne Duggan is the Director of the Archival Platform
