schrockmedia

There is no other post possible right now than one on the Iranian elections, where Ahmadinejad’s claimed victory over Moussavi has resulted in continued fallout. In western perceptions, this is going to be a watershed moment for Twitter, the moment where it proves its worth. Communication coming out of Iran is at a crawl due to lack of cell and Internet connectivity, and journalists have been officially banned from the streets. The number of videos coming out of Iran since the elections has lessened in recent days. So, when the world cannot be watching (as the 60s cry goes), it is certainly tweeting.

Twitter hasn’t so much filled in the communication gaps to get messages out of Iran (creaky old email appears to be the primary method) but it has served as a valuable mode of propagating grassroots information. #Iranelection is still a top-trending topic and will likely be so for some time. The fact that CNN is now examining Twitter feeds live (which Jon Stewart recently lampooned on the Daily Show) makes a case for the downsides of the new agenda-setting role of the technology: our desire for a constant stream of news may simply not be possible, and by using unreliable or unverified sources, we risk entirely changing the role of news.

The Neda video (warning: very graphic content) in particular is extremely affecting. It's a short film of the last moments on this earth of a woman who has been shot in the chest. This small moment has been extrapolated from its surroundings and presented as symbolic of a movement. The moment of death can be replayed over and over. This is both extremely problematic (basically a snuff film, and a private moment that arguably shouldn’t be seen by millions of strangers) and gives agency to an important meme (hopefully provoking discussion and thought on the Iranian election). #Neda has emerged on Twitter as an important tag of its own.

The end result of the protests is unclear, but will certainly be referenced as a pivotal moment in history. As of today, the numbers of protesters has dwindled due to the government crackdown. Although it has been painted as only a middle-class affair, there is dissent
about how true this is.

Mirrored at Annenberg Online Communities.

# posted by Andrew Schrock @ 11:25 AM