More on Twitter and protests in Tehran

I've read criticism of the "Twitter Theory" elsewhere that mainly focused on the fact that Iran is not as "wired" a country as, for example, the US, and therefore it was not as likely Twitter magnified the outcome of activists' actions. You're undoubtedly right that the Iranian authorities could have obtained IP logs, etc, if they really wanted to zero in on troublemakers (and anyway I have yet to find a way to search by time zone on Twitter).

Where I think Twitter does make a difference, though, is by supplementing information provided to the outside world as the MSM is slowly (or quickly as the case may be) choked off by the regime. It was never going to be well-covered by the Western press, but the regime made sure initially that it was sparsely examined, and has progressively reduced the number of foreign journos on the beat through visa cancellations and other harsh restrictions. So maybe Twitter's real role in this instance is to cover the ground upon which the MSM feared -- or simply was not allowed -- to tread.

It's a conflicted set of choices that face the protesters in Iran as well as those of us from around the world that are avidly watching.

I can see your perspective, but it's the perspective of a professor - not a protester.

Changing location to Iran would bring the complications you are mentioning, but cyber warriors are a smart peoplez. They don't just google. They set out Easter Eggs (hidden messages) more easily than you and your friends can google.

Finding the information/people is not very hard in that respect for those so inclined to participate. Currently, the MSM is not very effective in gathering their messages. The MSM is finding out the news on the backs of those involved.

Take for example the move to setup proxies capable of giving protesters anonymity and a way around the proxy censors.

In the instance you mention, the needs of the protesters far outweigh any post-protest lessons.

More Iranian locations keeps the issue as Iranian. And it does make it more difficult for tracking, but that's the point. They gather the information, cyber warriors get the information out and into the hands of the rest of the world.

You've seen the footage. This is not a game. This is life and death for some of them. Anything that can be done to protect them even at the expense of poli sci post-game intel is what will be done.

No solid proof that twitter helps spread news within Iran but certainly interesting is this twitter from the Mousavi campaign:

"mousavi1388: Twitter is currently our ONLY way to communicate overnight news in Iran, PLEASE do not take it down. #IranElection"

check it out for yourself:

http://twitter.com/mousavi1388

You'll note that his Twittering is half Farsi, half English.

I'd say that Twitter is still in the midst of finding its role as an activist medium. In the past two days, I've seen a modicum of discipline develop on the #IranElection trend, as sympathizers fumble through providing effective aid. I agree that tweeters are not as fundamental to the effort as they'd like to be. Nonetheless, I'd like to think they have provided some useful services, such as providing proxy servers to enable Iranians to escape government censorship, as well as to keep a world audience attuned too the situation there.

Yes, Twitter did not organise the protests. It played no role at all in them.

But on publicity - yes, it beat CNN, AP and BBC.

In fact, the inability of the major networks is puzzling.

If there is one revolution here, -it's source of information.

I am sure Pew studies on the Media will reveal this to have been a critical turning-point in media consumption.

Western media are so hungry for a "Twitter Revolution" that any event involving Twitter is vigorously and unapologetically labeled as such without even considering an actual meaning of the term. As in the recent case of protests in Moldova (you, Evgeny, had a great post on it), Twitter did not serve as a primary tool for organizing numerous protests in Iran. The platform did help to report on the protests (and events in general). It is a revolution of international reporting but it has nothing to do with the actual "Twitter Revolution."

Twitter is a great tool, but it isn't the only site covering the elections in Iran.

Demotix is a citizen journalist outfit getting photographers from photo amateurs and freelancers around the world. Many of its photographers have been beaten for taking photographs, but they have bravely reported events that the mainstream press has been unable to cover due to restrictions.

Demotix's Iran Hub on Demotix has been booming. www.demotix.com/iranelection When the internet choke is lifted, content streams in from its citizen journalists. Demotix has been getting steady content all week and supplying it to the NY Times, Reuters, AP, and EPA. You can see it here: http://www.demotix.com/iranelection
Foreign correspondents have been barred from reporting openly from Iran, and Demotix has got images out the world. This past weekend two of its reporters' photographs were featured twice on the front page of the NY Times: http://twitpic.com/80c0t and http://twitpic.com/7tbj9

The mainstream press has focused on the role of Demotix and citizen journalism - http://www.cnbc.com/id/31410538, and
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=106521&videoChannel=6, and Bloomberg http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=agG.8N3uePtI