While social networking sites are often used by students as tools of procrastination, in light of the recent chaos of the Iranian elections, these sites have become important bearers of information.
Due to the Iranian government’s censorship of the world media after the controversial election, Iranian citizens and those with friends and family in Iran have turned to universal social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate.
“It puts new twists on national news,” said Shiva Falsafi, a lecturer in the women’s studies department who does research on social movements. “Social networking has proven useful for circumventing this censorship.”
The violence erupted in Iran earlier this month, after news of current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s landslide victory over former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Allegations of voting irregularities spread and protesters filled the streets of Tehran, clashing with members of the nation’s Revolutionary Guards and militia.
However, Mousavi supporters have been able to make connections with others, based on the nature of social networking sites.
“The maintaining of weak ties, as opposed to strong ties, allows you to cross networks,” said Dr. Steven Peterson, a faculty member and continuing lecturer in the communication studies department.
“You may not see people for a long time, but the fact that you’re maintaining ties with them means you’ll be able to connect with them quickly.”
In terms of the Iranian election conflict, Falsafi said that these supporters have created their own virtual communities.
“The opposition is virtually mobilizing with the best chance to do practical activism,” she said.
However, it is not only the election’s dissenters that have utilized online technology.
Falsafi said that the government has also used the Internet to disseminate its own information, despite the lack of press attention to this aspect.
She also said that the Iranian government has purchased software to determine the location of such online dissenters and that some people have already been tracked down through their use of these social networking sites.
As a result, student groups such as the Iranian Student Group would not comment on the issue, based on their desire to remain politically unaffiliated.
However, despite these apparent dangers, Falsafi said that the simple fact that Iranian citizens have utilized this technology has contributed to a very different perception of the nation.
“Here is a manifestation of a new level of technology,” she said. “The media and world is surprised at how savvy a certain percentage of the population is and how connected the country is.”
Falsafi added that Iran has a high number of blogs and that many citizens are proficient at using both the Internet and computer software, in comparison to the general world perception of the nation.
The Internet revolution has also opened the door to new forms of media reporting. In contrast to the traditional reporting done by foreign correspondents, many members of the press found themselves relying on information from social networking sites to get an idea of the situation in Iran.
“Without those tools, you may lose contact with those people and thus need to rebuild contact,” Peterson said.
However, Falsafi said that utilizing social networking Web sites is not necessarily a bad thing, in spite of the problems of credibility that could arise from such information.
“Now the media has access to a lot more information,” she said. “It gives more accessibility in these situations ““ otherwise, we would not know what’s going on over there.”
Despite the use of online activism, Mousavi supporters in Westwood were more vocal in their protests against the disputed election.
Last week, protesters wearing bright green clothing could be seen along Wilshire Boulevard, near the Federal Building. The demonstrators shouted, honked car horns, and carried signs condemning the election results, while traffic along the street slowed.