In the past few days, the online world - blogosphere, twitterverse and mainstream media - has been abuzz with the role of twitter in Iran revolution. The basic question that has emerged is - What is the role of twitter in the ongoing protests in Iran? Should Twitter be seen as a reporting tool or as an activism tool?

What happened during Iran elections?

The re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran has angered the supporters of reformist challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi who are now disputing the election results. The Iran government led by Ahmadinejad has blocked traditional media outlets to restrict the information against his regime. The supporters of Mousavi, therefore, are using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to spread information, organize and collaborate.

How are the protestors using Twitter in Iran election?

There are several twitter accounts that are being used by protestors in Iran to spread information such as mousavi1388 (as reported in NYT), loftan.org besides others.

Understanding the role of Twitter

I think Twitter is being used both to spread information (as a media platform) and to organize and collaborate (as an activism platform). To think of it as performing only one of these roles would be a mistake. Because when twitter is used as a tool by activists / protestors themselves to spread information or to urge to keep on the fight it becomes a tool for both reporting and activism. People on twitter who changed their location to Tehran would also be seen as supporting the cause of protestors.

What is debatable is how big a role twitter plays in such political protests? Here, I think twitter is a tool like many others (online and offline tools) which the activists may be using during such campaigns. Therefore, to accord Twitter a highly significant status may not be a good idea. Because in developing countries, such as Iran there are many people who still don’t have access to social media and those who have may not be sophisticated users of technology.

However, the crucial role of twitter may not be neglected in such political campaigns, because the key people (organizers) in such protests are sophisticated users of Internet. They also know how important it is to have the support of international community during such protests.

Therefore, I think Twitter should be seen as both media tool as well as activism platform. Even so for reporting and activism during such protests, Twitter should be seen as one tool among many. What is also important is to understand the use of twitter by protestors within Iran to share and collaborate with each other and to reach out to international community outside Iran with information/ and for support during such protests.

Some additional links on Twitter in Iran revolution -

1. Social networks spread defiance online by Brad Stone and Noam Cohen

2. Tweeting Iran: Elex news in 140 characters or less by Rebecca Santana

3. Where is my Vote? : Iranians organize online by Mary Joyce

4. The Irony of Iran’s Twitter revolution? by Gaurav Mishra

5. More on Twitter and Protests in Tehran by Evgeny Morozov

6. Tear down this cyberwall by Nicholas D. Kristof

7. Media Literacy 101: “Allah O Akbar!” has become a cry for freedom by Susan Moeller

8. Media Literacy 101: Cloak- and - dagger news by Susan Moeller

9. America’s Iranian Twitter revolution by Maximillan Forte

10. Is Twitter really a tool for democracy? by Elizabeth Lazar

11. Iran, citizen media and media attention by Ethan Zuckerman

12. Twitter on the Barricades in Iran: Six lessons learned by Noam Cohen

It appears that governments are now taking social web more seriously and a deeper relationship seems to be forming between governments and social web.

For example, if we take the case of India and Iran.

In India during the recent elections, the political parties used the web to market themselves in the hope to reach out to the voters. This shows a participatory approach.

In Iran, the government has blocked Facebook prior to Presidential elections. This one points to a controlling approach.

The questions that emerge from this situation is:

1. What are these relationships between social web and governments?

2. How different are these relationships from those between mainstream media and governments?

3. What are the factors that define the relationship between mainstream media and governments? For example, what is it that made India’s political parties join and participate in the online social world? And what is it that the Iranian government finds threatening about the social web?

The more young people use mobile phones and internet to build an online presence, the more they need to be aware of it’s dangers. Online world has a language of it’s own and it’s own rules and conventions. There is someone out there who is tracking your online presence.

Can you write whatever you want on your blog?

The simple answer is no. Blogs are no more your personal space. There are many stories of people going to jail for writing against their government or a famous media personality. For example, you can read here how a young blogger went to jail in Iran for writing against the Islamic regime. In the aftermath of Mumbai attacks, an Indian blogger was given a notice to write against a popular TV news reporter and anchor. Another young Indian went to jail for posting death threats against a religious party. Off course, these stories are far and few but they are growing everyday.

Can you post whatever you want on your profile page on a social networking website?

The simple answer is again no. There are instances of people losing jobs because of what they write or post on their profiles.

Can you believe everything that is posted on Twitter?

No, because not everything posted on twitter is true. It may be just a rumor and sometimes you have to be aware of what is real news and what is not.

The right to free speech and freedom of expression rarely exist in a real world and that is why there is a high value placed on it. I think these incidents point out that it is time that educational system takes on the new challenges posed by the new online media.

After reading blogger Dave Fleet’s post on “What’s in your social media toolkit?” I decided to compile a list of my social media toolkit. I have to comment that I am a fairly moderate social media user (I am not sure if I have the correct term here). I take time to try out social media apps. but stick to few which give me real value…

My Social media toolkit consists of:

1. Facebook - to connect with people and learn about social networking events.

2. Twitter - to connect, share and build conversations around interesting topics.

3. LinkedIn - to build a professional network.

4. Plaxo - for syncing between tools (I am still trying to get it).

5. WordPress - for blogging about my research and things that I find interesting and worthwhile to write about.

6. Friendfeed - for syncing between tools (Twitter and Facebook).

7. Google Reader - to subscribe to blogs that I find interesting.

8. Delicious - I am on it but I don’t use much.

9. I do have a flickr, slideshare, YouTube account, but I haven’t used them much as of now.

What are the social media tools that you are using? How are they enhancing your professional or personal life? Let me know maybe I can benefit from them.

This article titled, Virtual Pleasures, in the Economist looks at a really important issue - what is really driving young people (men) in conservative societies to spend time online? I think the issue raised in this article is a very valid one - whether the online social media will eventually provide a way for young people to collaborate on political causes or will it just become a medium to seek out self pleasures? For instance, the article points out that in India the young people spend most of their online time browsing pages of matchmaking websites to find a spouse. The online digital media in India is providing opportunities for romance and dating which are otherwise considered a taboo in traditional Indian society.

I think the challenge is - how to use social media to get young people more interested in politics and causes which are of social importance and not just use it for personal pleasures and consumption?

I have been glued to the internet watching the mumbai attacks since yesterday. I learned about it around 1 pm US eastern time from a friend on yahoo messenger. She was outraged. I opened the NDTV live and watched in shock the burning TAJ. For about an hour, I just sat watching transfixed. I couldn’t believe, how could such an event happen in the middle of a busy city like Mumbai.

My first reaction, to know how my family and friends were. Some of my family stays very closeby to where the incident was taking place. I prayed and gathered enough courage to call them. Thankfully they are all fine.

I was hoping that it will all be over soon. But the night turned into day and day turned into night again and the terror still continues. Sitting in my room watching the live coverage of attack and reading live updates on twitter, I feel helpless. My thoughts turning into my head, and several questions emerging..why and how could something like this happen and the world watches. We are just watching and reading and listening while the terrorists are taking innocent lives…..we can speculate and we can reason….but when will this end…when 9/11 happened, we thought this was the big thing, and now we must get ready to fight terror, since then we had the Iraq war but the terrorist attacks continued - we saw the bombings in London, Delhi, and elsewhere and now Mumbai terror attacks…what are we going to do - prepare to fight another one like this….

We are getting reports from all over internet - from news media through live TV, from social media through twitter, first hand accounts from bloggers, we are so well-connected as the world, technology has brought us together like never before. I read anger, angst, pain all kinds of emotions from viewers from all over the world. The world watches in horror about what is happening in Mumbai, and tomorrow it can happen anywhere..we are connected but we are not safe. Somewhere we have gone wrong, somewhere we have failed…till yesterday, it was hijackings which made news and we were horrified with such incidents and today we are hit at right in the middle of a city, where we would think we are safest….

My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are dead or injured, who have lost their loved ones…or are awaiting them…may God (if there is one) create a miracle for everyone involved. May this event makes the world work towards peaceful solutions…