Social Networking's Impact
on the Iranian Protest
Movement
Myth & Reality

Citizen Media: Dynamic Even before
CNN's discovery of it
Sites & blogs have been vital tools for
activists
Blogs are used to:
Communicate:
Women's rights activists, student
groups, politicians
Organize:
Bus strike, enviromental
demonstrations

You Tube
You Tube used to:
Immortalize scandals such as sexual
harassment in universities, the corruption
of ayatollahs

Presidential Election, FaceBook, &
Twitter
FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube got unblocked a few
months before June 12th presidential election.

Social Networking Power after
Election
More journalists jailed, more journals shutdown,
Citizen media ( Twitter, FaceBook, You Tube...):
Acts as main Information platform for protesters and
opposition
Creates a bridge between inside Iran and outside
country

Neda Phenomenon
Protest movement finds a face

Twitter Mania and Western Media
Tweeting the revolution
Iranian Youth Tweet Up a Revolution
The tweeted revolution: how social media cannot be
silenced
A Nobel Peace Prize for Twitter?

What can go wrong with Twitter
Twitter does not organize demonstrations
Tweets can misinform people
Misunderstanding the sender
Activism and agendas

Beyond Reformist Movement
Khayban: Underground Internet Journal