1. C OV E R S TO RY Ammar Yasir
Debunking the myth
Understanding what social media can and
cannot do in case of a revolution
At a local gathering, a group
of people was asked if they
blogged, they shook their
heads in disagreement. They were
then asked if they changed their
Facebook statuses or shared videos,
articles etcetera on social media; to
this, they enthusiastically agreed in
unison. Not many of them knew that
using social media – albeit for status
updates, moderate sharing of website
links and videos – is micro-blogging,
which makes them all bloggers. The
social media cloud is now so powerful
that a teenager in a small town of
Noshero Feroz can address an
audience in New Jersey; but it all
comes down to the message one
intends to convey. down time maintenance that would have
The Iranian elections in 2009 are often disrupted the ensuing drama. So did a
reported as a case study, being the first revolution take place? None whatsoever.
global event where the world witnessed You can blame the fake Twitter ids for
the potential of social media as a painting the wrong picture, the global
propaganda jukebox and a platform for digital divide that kept a significant
cyber-activism. The day the election results population out of the loop, or the Iranian
were announced, anonymous Twitter residents who were indifferent to the so-
handles were created; these became the called ‘green revolution’. Whoever you
main sources of information from Iran to blame, the fact remains that the revolution
the rest of the world. These anonymous never came.
users asked the global audience to change A couple of revolutions did, however,
their current location to Tehran, their take place two years later. They triggered a
display pictures to green (Pakola fan, domino effect in the Arab world, with
anyone?) and share every news item that autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt
contained the hashtag #iranelections. Not crumbling down, and the setting off of
surprisingly, the US State Department uprisings in Bahrain, Libya, Jordan and
asked Twitter to suspend its scheduled many more. Mainstream news channels
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2. C O V E R S T O RY
What works
Here, it would be appropriate to mention
Take Back the Tech, an initiative taken to
use technology to create awareness about
women issues, and to educate women on
how to protect their online presence. The
campaign encourages women to use
technology for their benefit, and highlights
cases where technology was misused for
gender violence. The success of this
campaign lay with the women and men (yes,
you read that right) who came together for
the cause. They had a common goal, a
direction and most importantly a strategy.
Though the campaign is mainly advocated
on social media and mostly covers
technology related issues, all persons
involved sit together from time to time to
brainstorm ideas and execute a strategy.
like Al Jazeera, field reporters, journalists
and activists on ground took up social media What does not work
tools to create awareness and spread the Misinformation coming from an unidentified
word. The impact (of social media) became source, no matter how exhilarating or
such that the revolution in Egypt was being seemingly-correct, can create confusion and
dubbed as the revolution of the damage the cause. How many times have
Facebook generation. So we must ask we received and/or forwarded text
ourselves: Is it inevitable for social messages or e-mails that eventually turned
media to be responsible for future out to be a hoax? Last year’s blanket ban on
revolutions in the modern world? Facebook stands as a valid example, as this
Online activism can be divided into was when text messages and e-mails were
three main categories: circulated to disseminate all sorts of
Awareness/advocacy, erroneous updates and information.
organisation/mobilisation, and
action/reaction. In this article, we will Organisation/mobilisation
try to debunk some of the myths of Author and public speaker Malcolm Gladwell
social media activism, based on the made waves and enemies with his article in
aforementioned categories. The New Yorker, titled ‘Small changes: Why
the revolution will not be tweeted’. Though
Awareness/advocacy: he was widely criticised by cyber-activists for
Social or free media empowers ordinary, his theory, he made some valid points.
non-partisan individuals to publicise According to Gladwell, acquaintances that
issues that otherwise don’t make it to we make online are weak compared to the
the mainstream media (local and bonds of friends and family in the real life.
international) for numerous He also opined that, when online, people put
reasons. Alternate and social their minimum at stake, to accomplish goals
media allow issues such as that are achieved putting in minimum effort.
child abuse, gender-based
violence, bureaucratic What works
transgressions etcetera – which Fund raisers, donations, relief efforts serving
the mainstream media is the common goal with little or no risk
reluctant to address – to receive involved. The flood relief efforts organised by
the attention they deserve. Pakistani civilians and NGOs is an example
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3. C O V E R S T O RY
of successful mobilisation using
social media. As members of such
a team, this writer and his peers
were able to collect aid of over a
million rupees in two days, using
Facebook, Twitter, e-mails and text
messages. Worth mentioning is the
fact that when people distrust the
government, they are more open (to
donate money) to people they know
via social media. Hence, real-world
ties versus social-media ties are
case-specific.
What does not work
Since social media gives every user an viruses and send out mass e-mails (e-mail
equal opportunity to speak, it is a double- bombs) to create annoyance and disruption.
edged sword. “So how do you make difficult
choices about tactics or strategy or What works
philosophical direction when everyone has Setting up of websites, e-petitions, blog
an equal say?” asks Malcolm Gladwell. posts, podcasts, Facebook pages and live
As there is no defined leadership structure coverage of events on Twitter etcetera often
or hierarchy, it can be quite difficult to reach works. However, their effectiveness varies
consensus and prioritise goals. Also, since from case to case. Some issues garner
there are no defined rules of engagement, more attention than others – irrespective of
social networks can be the eyes and ears of their importance.
the enemy.
Exhibit A: Wael Ghonim, a prominent What does not work
Egyptian internet activist and currently the Relying solely on social media for numbers
Head of Marketing of Google Middle East is not a good idea. When the Former
and North Africa, gives much credit to social President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharaf, was
media; but in Egypt’s case, the country was asked why he thought he was popular
already united behind a common goal: Get among the Pakistanis, he credited his
rid of Mubarak. 300,000-plus fans on Facebook. However,
Exhibit B: Notwithstanding the when it came to on-ground support, hardly a
overwhelming yet disproportionate role of thousand gathered to demonstrate their
technology, religious parties in Pakistan support for him.
have always been able to pull in big
numbers in their rallies in comparison to the At the end of the day
tech-savvy liberals. Social media is an excellent tool to raise
awareness and promote social causes. But
Action/reaction when it comes to toppling down an
Conditions, cultures and traditions vary from autocratic regime, one has to do more than
one nation to another. In the past, to merely check-in a protest via Foursquare.
highlight the importance of their dedication
to a cause, activists marched on the streets U.S. State Department speaks to
and caused traffic on busy roads. Now, there Twitter over Iran
The Sites
are other, more civilised yet radical ways to tinyurl.com/UStwitteriran
advocate a cause. Some activists turn to New Yorker: Small change
hacktivism to propagate their political tinyurl.com/ny-smallchange
stance; they take down websites by using From power to politics
Denial of Service attacks, upload Trojan tinyurl.com/PMpower
| 39 | march 2011 | SPIDER