Sunday
May312009
Iran: The People's (Facebook) Revolution
Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 9:26
News Around the World by Enduring America on Facebook
On Wednesday, my colleague Chris Emery sent me the story that the Iranian Government had apparently blocked Facebook. That was curious because, two hours earlier, an Iranian friend had asked me via the site about my opinions on the Iranian Presidential election and the challenge of Mir Hossein Mousavi. Chris added that he, too, had been chatting with people in Tehran about the latest political developments.
So we did some cyber-checking --- Chris from Britain and I from a campsite in rural France --- and found out from our contacts that the site had been blocked on Saturday. That was not the big story, however. About 48 hours later, after much public protest, access to Facebook was restored, although no explanation for the original blocking was offered.
The immediate speculation was that the restriction was linked to the Presidential election. Months ago, when former President Mohammad Khatami was considering a 2009 bid, a group supporting him rapidly attracted thousands of members. Khatami's homepage now supports Mousavi, who in turn now has his own profile with more than 1300 fans. Mehdi Karroubi, another Presidential candidate, has a very active page with more than 2000 supporters.
(And, anticipating your question, there are several pages in the name of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, none appear to be an active "official" site, unless his primary language has suddenly become Spanish.)
Yet, while accepting that electoral politics was the proximate cause of the short-lived ban on Facebook, this misses the wider significance of the story.
For Facebook, as even the most cyber-phobic person knows, is much more than a political forum. Within minutes, you can be making up your ultimate band, discussing (and hopefully deriding) the latest Tom Hanks travesty, playing on-line Scrabble, or simply informing the world that you are angry/happy/depressed/excited/ready to hand over your children to the first person who will take them off your hands.In any country, let alone Iran, that opens up vistas of knowledge, discussion, and debate. For those immersed in politics, much of it may seem it far more trivial than a Presidential campaign, but these are the exchanges of everyday life.
Which is why, in my opinion, it would be a misreading to treat this Facebook movement as an uprising against the Islamic Revolution or even against the current Government (the real or imitation Mahmoud Ahmadinejads have several thousand supporters). Taking advantage of the opportunities offered by social media does not lock someone into a particular political, economic, or religious point of view.
Instead, the Facebook revolution is one of dialogue and engagement. It may face further bumps along the political road, but a return to a full block is unlikely. The illusion that Iran is cut off from "the West" --- just as the illusion that Iran is or should be just like "the West" --- is now well and truly shattered.
On Wednesday, my colleague Chris Emery sent me the story that the Iranian Government had apparently blocked Facebook. That was curious because, two hours earlier, an Iranian friend had asked me via the site about my opinions on the Iranian Presidential election and the challenge of Mir Hossein Mousavi. Chris added that he, too, had been chatting with people in Tehran about the latest political developments.So we did some cyber-checking --- Chris from Britain and I from a campsite in rural France --- and found out from our contacts that the site had been blocked on Saturday. That was not the big story, however. About 48 hours later, after much public protest, access to Facebook was restored, although no explanation for the original blocking was offered.
The immediate speculation was that the restriction was linked to the Presidential election. Months ago, when former President Mohammad Khatami was considering a 2009 bid, a group supporting him rapidly attracted thousands of members. Khatami's homepage now supports Mousavi, who in turn now has his own profile with more than 1300 fans. Mehdi Karroubi, another Presidential candidate, has a very active page with more than 2000 supporters.
(And, anticipating your question, there are several pages in the name of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, none appear to be an active "official" site, unless his primary language has suddenly become Spanish.)
Yet, while accepting that electoral politics was the proximate cause of the short-lived ban on Facebook, this misses the wider significance of the story.
For Facebook, as even the most cyber-phobic person knows, is much more than a political forum. Within minutes, you can be making up your ultimate band, discussing (and hopefully deriding) the latest Tom Hanks travesty, playing on-line Scrabble, or simply informing the world that you are angry/happy/depressed/excited/ready to hand over your children to the first person who will take them off your hands.In any country, let alone Iran, that opens up vistas of knowledge, discussion, and debate. For those immersed in politics, much of it may seem it far more trivial than a Presidential campaign, but these are the exchanges of everyday life.
Which is why, in my opinion, it would be a misreading to treat this Facebook movement as an uprising against the Islamic Revolution or even against the current Government (the real or imitation Mahmoud Ahmadinejads have several thousand supporters). Taking advantage of the opportunities offered by social media does not lock someone into a particular political, economic, or religious point of view.
Instead, the Facebook revolution is one of dialogue and engagement. It may face further bumps along the political road, but a return to a full block is unlikely. The illusion that Iran is cut off from "the West" --- just as the illusion that Iran is or should be just like "the West" --- is now well and truly shattered.
Reader Comments (2)
One question: who says it IS an uprising or a revolution? Syria, China, Cuba and dozens of other countries censor the web constantly. Why, in Iran, would we treat it as anything other than routine?
UJ,
For me, the context is striking. I have found in Iran both an intensity in debate on politics that surpasses much of what I find here in Britain. That is matched by an eagerness amongst most I have met and know in Iran for discussion about everything from music to films to family life.
Facebook has rapidly become a platform for expression moving between the political and the cultural and often linking those spheres. I may be overly optimistic but I think, as the discussion unfolds during and after the current electoral campaign, it will be difficult to take away that platform.
S.