Twittering Freedom

I have a confession to make. I finally broke down and signed up for a Twitter.com account. I don’t think I’ll use it much for my own entries, but, in recent weeks, it has become obvious that the protesters in Iran were using social networking sites like YouTube and Facebook to smuggle out video and still images when the Iranian government began blocking more conventional routes of delivery. The protesters were also using Twitter, to the extent that, when you heard breaking news from Iran on CNN, they prefaced half the reports with, “This just off of Twitter….”

So I created an account, and have since spent fascinating hours over the last few days watching the “tweets” go rolling by on the computer screen. Among the most active threads, as you might imagine, were ones called Iran Election, Iran, and Neda.
I’m not exactly sure why the events in Iran fascinate me so, although I am obviously not the only one thus affected.

If you read a little, you discover it is a nation that defies many Western stereotypes. Because of a baby boom in the 80’s, nearly two-thirds of Iran’s population is under thirty. College enrollment there is 63% female, and women “increasingly continue to play pivotal roles in society.” (Interesting Article Link HERE). I get the impression that, while the government may be oppressive and extremist, large segments of the population are sophisticated and tolerant. Do a few Google searches. You’ll be surprised at what you find.

Several protest events are now scheduled in the DC area over the next few days, and it is likely that I will attend one or more. Although I don’t know how I can get there and back, tomorrow night (Thursday) there is a march that ends, appropriately, in Dupont Circle with a candle light vigil for Neda (Link HERE).

As I write this, a tweet comes across with a link to a very simple website showing first aid information in Persian. There is an English translation that reveals topics such as - Treating Pepper Spray, Dealing with Tear Gas Canisters, Treating Gunshot Wounds, and How to Perform CPR. Many of the tweets are repetitive. Some appear to be efforts of Iranian protesters to communicate with each other, or with outsiders, in some cases cryptically. While many just offer support, some offer advice:

“To stop Basij motorcycle patrols tie wire/rope to tree across street 3-4 feet above ground pull tight before they arrive.”

“Don't fight the beast, starve it! They are vulnerable (dependent on oil/gas revenue)! Work slowly!”

Then there are alarming tweets about people in Iran - identified only by their screen name - who are now missing:

“Persiankiwi has been absent for 15 hours, God save persiankiwi.”

Who could have foreseen the fact that Twitter's most succesful marketing "campaign" would be the election in Iran?

I don't know how long I'll use it, but, for now, I'm Twittering. And watching a struggle for freedom scroll before my eyes.


[Photo Credit: Ben Curtis (AP)]