Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:00a.m.
In my last blog I wrote about the influence of new media in the Mt Albert by-election.
But recent events in the Iranian elections obviously dwarf our own contest and new media has also had a considerable influence over the demonstrations and violence we have seen on our screens over the last few days.
As Mousavi and Ahmedinajad argue over whether the vote was fair and the streets heave with massive civil unrest, not seen on this scale since the revolution in 1979, websites such as Twitter and Facebook have played their part in these monumental events.
Young Mousavi campaigners have used the internet to spread their message in a state where media freedom has been seriously curtailed, especially during the election.
Read about the clampdown on Iran’s media here.
Read about Mousavi supporters using the internet to campaign here.
The use of Twitter to spread information and breaking news has received considerable coverage.
The majority of that coverage has been positive – Twitter is seen by the West as an invaluable tool for the people of Iran; a vital way for them to campaign and get their message heard.
Little has been written though about the unaccountability of this information. There is a great deal of trust going on here. By relying on a site like Twitter for all information, we leave ourselves open to misinformation.
How easy would it be for Government agents to open a Twitter account and attempt to derail the legitimate efforts of Tweeters trying to report the truth?
If you take a look at #iranelection, the sheer volume of Tweets is overwhelming. How much of this information is useful or reliable?
As journalists, our pinch-of-salt-o-meter must be on red alert when using sites like Twitter for information. It is all too easy to get sucked in to its carefully crafted image of providing the most accurate information from the people at the scene.
There are also Associated Press stories circulating that the election was not rigged and that these Tweets may be biased in favour of Mousavi. Tehran’s rich, young and educated elite form a large proportion of Mousavi’s support and it is this group who are most likely to have access to Twitter.
Ahmedinejad’s support is largely made up of the rural and urban poor – a popular man due to rebuilding projects that have enhanced the lives of Iran’s less well off. These people are much less likely to have access to the internet.
According to www.internetworldstats.com, 23 million people have access to the internet in Iran – approximately one third of the country.
However, because of strict restrictions on internet use the number of people who can effectively demonstrate on websites like Twitter is confined to those who know how to operate proxy servers to get around government firewalls – presumably a much smaller number
Undoubtedly, there are numerous occasions where Twitter is used for the right reasons and is a reliable source of information. We use the website ourselves to live blog from big events such as the Mt Albert by-election and from inside the courtroom in the Bain trial www.twitter.com/baintrial.
I am also loathe to be cynical, when it comes to reports of people trying to express their freedom of speech from underneath the shadowy wings of political oppression.
However, this accountability problem is one that blights many of the internet’s greatest projects. Great human endeavours such as Wikipedia and Twitter all suffer when they are used without honesty or accuracy.
Without finding a way to make these services accountable, we could find their value diminishes and powerful tools for those without a voice to make themselves heard could become redundant.