The Buzz Bin

One of the most bizarre aspects of the Iran protests has been the claim of Netizens that it’s a Twitter revolution.  Certainly, our conversational medium has made great strides in the rapid spread of information. In fact, the use of social media has been a critical tool in the spread of ideas, not only amongst Iranians but in their ability to inform the world.  So let’s not get over our heads. People make revolutions happen, not tools.

The Washington Post had a great opinion piece on this topic this morning.  Here was the key section that I found compelling:

…there are sharp limits on what Twitter and other Web tools such as Facebook and blogs can do for citizens in authoritarian societies. The 140 characters allowed in a tweet are not the end of politics as we know it — and at times can even play into the hands of hard-line regimes.

Indeed, Twitter and all conversational media tools really are just that: Tools.  They can be used for good or bad purposes, and in the particular case of short forms, they do not equate to in depth information or understanding.  It’s really about people, and how they use these Internet tools to spread information, and what that data causes them to do. 

I had the great honor of appearing on Voice of America’s international broadcast last week to discuss this very topic. Conversational tools spread information in an uncontrolled fashion. Actions create revolutions, not the tools, but the tools have evolved over time to allow for instantaneous, independent movement outside of governments.  Consider the following historical development of communication:

1) The Gutenberg press was invented in 1440: The resulting books triggered the Renaissance and the spread of ideas throughout Europe in roughly 50 years. Information can be spread in weeks on a continent, and months or years depending on location of foreign countries.

2) By the 17th century, we had newspapers thanks to moveable type. Newspapers really took off in the 18th century.  As information spread quicker, we saw Thomas Paine and Ben Franklin create newspapers and documents. The rise of the fourth estate allows American and French revolutionaries to create Democracy. The trend accelerates in the 19th century.

3) The 20th century brought broadcast and mass communications. Propaganda wars take place amongst many political theologies, from Goebels and the Nazis to FDR and Fireside chats to the Stalin and Mao-brands of communism. Democracy spreads further, but autocratic regimes use broadcast to control their citizens.  Information is now spread in hours instead of in days.

4) The Internet also rose in the 20th century, but it is only in this decade that we’ve realized the dream of a Gutenberg press in everyone’s hand. Now because of conversational media anyone can be a citizen journalist.  Information is spread instantaneously, beating out broadcast, and autocratic control is no longer effective for societies enabled with mobile or regular Internet communications.

But in spite of the spread and the break of control we still have a very desperate situation in Iran.  Violent protests have broken out as the now information enabled the Moussavi opposition and supporters refuse to accept the broadcasted message of their government.

Now the real revolution must occur… Or falter.  Autocratic control has lots its grip on information in Iran, but not the military.  The human-powered Internet only serves as a toolset to organize and galvanize the Moussavi opposition in spite of Iran’s best attempts to control its people using conventional media. It’s a time of action, of stones in the street, of bloodshed. May it pass swiftly, successfully, and with minimal loss.