Twitter is Key in News on Elections in Iran
CNN reports that Twitter has been used by both the media and the masses as an informational resource on the developments of the Presidential election in Iran, since many media sources have been shut down or expelled from the country.
The U.S. State Department has found information taken from Twitter, Facebook and even YouTube to be a critical source on the progress of Iran’s current situation. “Senior officials say the State Department is working with Twitter and other social networking sites to ensure Iranians are able to continue to communicate to each other and the outside world,” CNN states. It’s amazing how the manner of communication via social networking websites is able to pervade cultures across the world, as nearly 150,000 Iranians use Facebook, says Reuters, to spread awareness of their opinions and the daily reality of living in Iran. Is this a sign of a growing global culture (which communicates electronically), if the term could even be used?
This isn’t the only case where this kind of technology has been used to preemptively report on events before official media channels are able to authenticate them. News on the spread of wildfire that damaged large portions of Southern California in 2007 were largely disseminated via Twitter (click here to learn more).
How do you see this technology playing a role in your life? How has it connected you to other people and places?