Twitter-ific
The current election protests in Iran are exceptional in their own right; but what is even more exceptional is the role Twitter is playing in generating support for the opposition. Right now, thousands of Twits (people on Twitter) are showing their support of the “Green Revolution” by adding a green tinge to their digital avatars and forwarding news and following the flow of contraband Tweets from inside Iran. In a situation where most journalists have been ousted or silenced, the vacuum has been filled with thousands of defiant voices from Iran. And their chorus has been echoed ten-fold by followers on the ‘net.
But what the internet has proven that even its largest fads can burn out within a few weeks. Remember that British woman with the great voice? Remember BananaPhone? Remember Mumbai? All these were high-powered internet obsessions that ebbed back into the undulating waves of the WWW. Supporting Iran is easy when all you have to do is Tweet and follow; but I wonder if even 10% of those Tweeting would be marching in that protest (or if they will even remember the cause three weeks from now).
I would love to expound on this, but I still don’t have reliable access to the ‘net. And I’m not even in Iran…
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Tags: government, internet, iran, peace and love, twitter