Twitter Revolution in Iran: a cliché?

Ten days after the disputed results of presidential elections in Iran, the situation is still unclear. Supporters of outgoing President Ahmadinejad and reformist candidate Moussavi are still demonstrating in the streets. Worldwide, a new name was removed from the experts and geeks' circle: Twitter, the social network of micro-blogging, which has allowed us to be informed in real time about events. A sudden burst in media and politics which raises some questions.

Technology had never been so used in Iran during an election campaign. The four candidates have made extensive use of campaign websites, SMS and YouTube, but Moussavi has emerged as the candidate of Iranian webusers. His profile on Twitter has more than 17,000 "followers" on June 20 and his Facebook group nearly 70,000 fans (according to Facebook, approximately 235,000 people are registered on "Iran network").

Saeed Shariati, responsible for Moussavi Internet campaign says they have "quickly realized that using social networking was the best way to spread the message of Moussavi". According to the CIA, about 47 million Iranians (out of a population of 70 million) have a mobile phone and 21 million an Internet access. And this population is young (average age: 27 years). Approximately 35% of the population would be connected to the Internet, according to OpenNet Initiative, a rate above the Middle East. The Persian blogosphere, with more than 60,000 blogs, is also one of the most active in the world.

Ahmadinejad has for his part used traditional controlled channels: television, radio, newspapers and sermons in mosques. This does not mean that Conservatives are overwhelmed by technology: OpenNet Initiative said that "Iran has with China, the most advanced filtering systems in the world." Just to observe how, on election night, access to the Internet has suddenly been cut, as shown by the graphics published on Information Policy. Already during the campaign, Facebook had been blocked, as the popular FriendFeed.

It was after the announcement of the results that Twitter became the center of the dispute. Despite the blocking of Internet and SMS, information started to tell how Moussavi supporters mobilized to challenge the election in the first round of Ahmadinejad. The strength of Twitter is that you can publish its messages in various ways, from a mobile phone, Internet access or specific applications. A message on Ping.fm and all your social networks will relay it instantly. As the wire story from a press agency, information disseminated via Twitter # IranElection have succeeded at a rate of 30 new posts per minute in the evening of June 15.

But, as pointed out by the French newpaper "Le Monde" ( "In Iran, the conflict also depends on the Web"), "Twitter accounts are primarily used by students in the demonstrations and vociferous support Moussavi. Iranian Bloggers appear from the educated elite Iranian opposition to conservatives, who can access to Internet". The same article challenges "the reliability of information distilled on Twitter," unverified information that can serve as a sounding box for all the rumors. Ahmadinejad's supporters are often from rural areas. They have megaphones, not smartphones.

Even websites such as Internet Freedom offers facilities to Iranians to escape censure it is not so easy to connect through proxies to ensure anonymity.

We already talked about "Twitter Revolution" during the events in Moldova in April. Ethan Zuckerman, co-founder of GlobalVoices Online, quickly pointed out that of the 700 people who used Twitter during the demonstrations challenging the election result less than 200 were in Moldova.

Whatever the outcome of the events in Iran, we have witnessed an historic event, highlighted by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates: "It is a victory for freedom in the world because of the monopoly information is no longer in the hands of a government. "

Joe Trippi had sensed in his book "The Revolution will not be televised." A few years ago, the situation in Iran has been subject of a total blackout and very few information would be leaving the country. Today, thanks to technology, the world can know.

In this sense we can talk about Twitter Revolution.

Saeed Shariati, responsible for Moussavi Internet campaign says they have "quickly realized that using social networking was the best way to spread the message of Moussavi". According to the CIA, about 47 million Iranians (out of a population of 70 million) have a mobile phone and 21 million an Internet access. And this population is young (average age: 27 years). Approximately 35% of the population would be connected to the Internet, according to OpenNet Initiative, a rate above the Middle East. The Persian blogosphere, with more than 60,000 blogs, is also one of the most active in the world.

Ahmadinejad has for his part used traditional controlled channels: television, radio, newspapers and sermons in mosques. This does not mean that Conservatives are overwhelmed by technology: OpenNet Initiative said that "Iran has with China, the most advanced filtering systems in the world." Just to observe how, on election night, access to the Internet has suddenly been cut, as shown by the graphics published on Information Policy. Already during the campaign, Facebook had been blocked, as the popular FriendFeed.

It was after the announcement of the results that Twitter became the center of the dispute. Despite the blocking of Internet and SMS, information started to tell how Moussavi supporters mobilized to challenge the election in the first round of Ahmadinejad. The strength of Twitter is that you can publish its messages in various ways, from a mobile phone, Internet access or specific applications. A message on Ping.fm and all your social networks will relay it instantly. As the wire story from a press agency, information disseminated via Twitter # IranElection have succeeded at a rate of 30 new posts per minute in the evening of June 15.

But, as pointed out by the French newpaper "Le Monde" ( "In Iran, the conflict also depends on the Web"), "Twitter accounts are primarily used by students in the demonstrations and vociferous support Moussavi. Iranian Bloggers appear from the educated elite Iranian opposition to conservatives, who can access to Internet". The same article challenges "the reliability of information distilled on Twitter," unverified information that can serve as a sounding box for all the rumors. Ahmadinejad's supporters are often from rural areas. They have megaphones, not smartphones.

Even websites such as Internet Freedom offers facilities to Iranians to escape censure it is not so easy to connect through proxies to ensure anonymity.

We already talked about "Twitter Revolution" during the events in Moldova in April. Ethan Zuckerman, co-founder of GlobalVoices Online, quickly pointed out that of the 700 people who used Twitter during the demonstrations challenging the election result less than 200 were in Moldova.

Whatever the outcome of the events in Iran, we have witnessed an historic event, highlighted by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates: "It is a victory for freedom in the world because of the monopoly information is no longer in the hands of a government. "

Joe Trippi had sensed in his book "The Revolution will not be televised." A few years ago, the situation in Iran has been subject of a total blackout and very few information would be leaving the country. Today, thanks to technology, the world can know.

In this sense we can talk about Twitter Revolution.