BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics

Subject: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 08:42 PM

The purpose of this thread is to explore the impact of YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking technologies on politics.

This dailykos.com thread gave me the idea for this thread:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/14/742453/-High-Definition-Democracy- "High-Definition Democracy"
by georgia10 ; Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 04:56:56 PM PDT

As such I'll begin this thread with an excerpt from that dairy:

"One need look no further than the 140-character updates streaming in from Iran on Twitter, the photostreams pouring in on Flickr, and the blossoming Facebook pages to understand and appreciate the revolutionary effect social media has had on how civilizations engage in and react to democracy.

The saying popping up over the last several hours has already become cliche: the revolution will not be televised, it will be Twittered. Stripping away the hyperbole of that statement and we are left with the very real and grounded fact that the way citizens across the world organize, react, and participate has forever been altered by the cornucopia of 21st century mediums, each of which presents a new platform for how citizens interact with and even select their government."

[italics used in the original dairy]

-snip-

Do you agree with this excerpt? What example/s can you share of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or other "21st century mediums" having an impact on "how citizens interact with and even select their government?" What positive or negative consequences could be the result of this new technology and politics?

Thanks in advance for your participation in this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 08:50 PM

Am I the only one on Mudcat who hasn't yet used Twitter?

Here's a description of that technology from its home page:
Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

[italics used on that home page]

Here is an excerpt from Twitters Wikipedia:

"Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read each others' updates, known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters, displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to other users - known as followers - who have subscribed to them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. The service is free over the Internet, but using SMS may incur phone service provider fees.

Since its creation in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter has gained notability and popularity worldwide. It is sometimes described as the "SMS of the Internet",[2] as it provides the functionality—via its application programming interface (API)—for other desktop and web-based applications to send and receive short text messages, often obscuring the Twitter service itself.

Through SMS, users can communicate with Twitter through five gateway numbers: short codes for the United States, Canada, India, New Zealand, and an Isle of Man-based number for international use. There is also a short code in the United Kingdom which is only accessible to those in the Vodafone network.[3]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

That Wikipedia article lists San Francisco, California, USA as the headquarters of the Twitter corporation.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 09:42 PM

Here's some information on the saying "The revolution will not be televised" by those who aren't familiar with that saying:
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is a poem and song by Gil Scott-Heron. It was the B-side to Scott-Heron's first single, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is".

It first appeared on the 1970 album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, on which Scott-Heron recited the piece, accompanied only by congas and bongo drums.

A re-recorded version, this time with a full band, appeared on the 1971 album Pieces of a Man and as the b-side to the single "Home Is Where The Hatred Is".

All these releases were issued on the Flying Dutchman Productions label. The piece's name was also used as the title to Scott-Heron's "Best of" album, issued in 1998 by RCA.

The song appeared in the film The Hurricane by Norman Jewison about the wrongful imprisonment of boxer Rubin Carter and the fight to free him from injustice.

The poem is notable for its extensive political and cultural references, many of which may be unknown today.*...

The song has been covered, sampled, and parodied extensively.**
-snip-

*The Wikipedia article contains a listing and explanation of those references.

** The Wikipedia article contains a listing of a number of those artists who have covered and sampled this rap/song.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolution_Will_Not_Be_Televised

-snip-

The words in the composition were directed toward Black Americans and "the revolution" that is talked about is a "Black Power" revolution.

I'll provide the lyrics to this song in my next post to this thread.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
From: Azizi
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 09:51 PM

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

[Gill Scott-Heron]

You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.

Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be right back after a message
bbout a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat.

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/undercoverbrother/therevolutionwillnotbetelevised.htm

-snip-

Here's a link to a YouTube video of this rap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS3QOtbW4m0

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Original Version
"A collage of Youtube clips to the original recording from Gil Scott Heron's classic first album"

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 10:21 PM

Former Virginia Senator George Allen's use of the "macaca" racial epithet is the first example I came up with of YouTube having a significant impact on politics.

Here's some information about that incident:

"George Felix Allen (born March 8, 1952) is a former Republican United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress. Allen's re-election in the 2006 race seemed inevitable until he was brought down by a video that showed him using a racial epithet when talking to a staffer for his opponent, Democrat Jim Webb"...

On August 11, 2006, at a campaign stop in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border, Allen twice used the word macaca to refer to S.R. Sidarth, an Indian-American, who was filming the event as a "tracker" for the opposing Webb campaign. Macaca means "monkey" and is a racial slur; it is generally used in francophone African nations, which led to speculation that Allen may have heard the epithet from his mother, a Francophone who grew up in French-colonial Tunisia. Allen apologized and later said that he did not know the meaning of the word. In 2008, The Washington Post speculated that, were it not for this single utterance, Allen would have been a strong candidate for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination."...

[My italics added for emphasis]

**

The video of Allen's comments were uploaded to YouTube where they quickly went viral. YouTube videos of Allen's "apology" also were viewed by a large number of people as were discussions by numerous television commentators about this incident.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 10:38 PM

I haven't used Twitter yet either, and I don't feel particularly inclined to. However, I agree that such technologies (along with the internet generally) will bring about a huge increase in democracy in the world, including right here in the US (already has to a large extent with the election of Obama, which was assisted to a great extent by the internet).

For those who are Twitter savvy, apparently the people Twittering in Iran need people to set up proxy services for IP ranges inside Iran. The addresses can be sent to some of the people who are using facebook/twitter from Iran. And people can post the proxy information on Twitter under #iranelection with the words 'proxy in their tweet.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 10:40 PM

I use facebook, myspace and Davis Deluxe. Oh, registered on youtube to make a comment for a musician friend. Enough is enough. I try to support musician friends on each and may get political but only to a degree so far. FaF on both. Pete Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize - very political in a way. But, yes. These are places where we can have our say in small and perhaps influential ways. I am hoping so, anyway. The revolution? Worth keeping an eye out, as always. A few well placed words can make a difference in a life - in the world - probably. Is not all of life political? And are our young people not totally involved in learning about each other - worldwide - via these media? I consider these interactions our best hope for a peaceful world somewhere down the line.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Jun 09 - 10:48 PM

Here's a page of Twittering on Iran, including people providing addresses for proxy servers...

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23iranelection

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: maire-aine
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 12:03 AM

I've resisted the social networking sites so far. I was considering doing facebook, but all of a sudden I started getting emails inviting me to join folks on facebook & myspace & flixter & twitter and heaven-knows what else. And of course each one requires you to set up your own "page". It all became just too much. I have a linkedin page, and that seems to be enough for now. I guess you could say that I'm as connected as I want to be.

M

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 02:40 AM

Hmmm...

This article goes into some depth about how these kinds of political coups are orchestrated secretly by the governments of countries like the US and the UK, and not always to the advantage of the people in the targeted countries...

http://www.onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_308.shtml


Somebody in the comments section of this blog post (also worth reading, including the comments section) had this to say about the effects of this sort of covert action...


(Quoting another commentator) "From what I gather, Mousavi would shape economic policy so that it's more favorable towards free-market capitalism. But just because he'd want to do this don't necessarily mean he's in favor of turning Iran into a nation ruled by oligarchs, as the US is now doing. If Mousavi is anything like Parviz, and I think he is, I feel very confident that he'll push for economic reforms that will strengthen the social safety net for all Iranians and will downsize welfare for the super-rich."

Well, "free-market capitalism" means exactly that:oligopoly, the word "economic reforms" is sounding ominous, also is synonymous for the same thing. Society ruled by looters.

I had "luck" to experience, and see the arivall of "free-market economy" in my ex-country.Now, after two decades the country is:ruin, failed/vassal state, jobless and lawless country, without future.Ruled by feudal oligarchy who are just pawn. Real master is IMF and banks from Italy and Austria (German and US capital).

Regardless of interior social structure or type of societal order, today, only REALLY FREE country is one which is out or reach of IMF, WB (read Fed., and Treasury) and the like org., whose currency and bond market (if exist) are out of reach of the Wall Street speculators.

All in all, IMHO - Iranian people, and any other nation for that matter, are better off with theocracy as independent country, then being "liberated" from organization such as IMF and looters aka "investitors".

Posted by: balkanac | Jun 14, 2009 7:18:36 PM | 16

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 04:48 AM

Here's another excerpt from the dailykos.com diary High-Definition Democracy :

"Across the world, the internet has fundamentally transformed how democracy is performed. It is certainly not the first time technology has so altered the social and political landscapes. The advent of the printing press, radio and TV produced similar transformations in how people rallied causes and organized.

But the internet provides something more. Where print, radio and TV have permitted political and community leaders to "get their messages" out to the masses, they are largely one-dimensional methods of communication. With the internet, however, we are seeing for the first time how multi-dimensional technology allows not just for the amplification of a "message" by those at the top, but it also allows for the creation of sub-messages, anti-messages, and other reactions by the masses.

In other words, we have moved from the era of citizen passivity – reading or watching or hearing about current events – to the era of citizen proactivity, where individuals are empowered to opine on, report on, dispute, support, or organize around those current events.

From the 2D organizational world of decades past, we are moving to a 3D version of democracy, where "feedback," "conversation," and "accountability" are key, whether they be in the form of replies, retweets, or YouTube video responses.

To what end, however? Sure, all of this talk about "online revolutions" sounds just as sexy as "information superhighway" sounded back in the 1990s. But practically speaking,what is the real effect of this technology on democracy? Getting out the vote aside, and looking past election day to the daily grind of forming a more perfect union, how has technology changed the way we practice that ancient concept?

My perspective is that the technology we deal with today is a chisel which allows us to chip away at the walls placed between ordinary citizens and those that enjoy positions of power. The previously unassailable press institutions can no longer hide behind veneers of objectivity and accuracy when fact-checking is just a Google away. D.C.'s most powerful, who preen about as if they are the smartest in the country, can't hide the fact on Twitter that they are, indeed, pretty stupid"...

[My italics added for emphasis]

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 05:08 AM

When I think of music videos on YouTube that went viral and helped a political candidate, the first example I think of is will i am's "Yes We Can" video.

Here's an excerpt from an article about this video:

New Celeb Filled Music Video for Obama
Feb 2, 2008 ABC News Politics
Celebrity-filled music videos have been used to support many social movements, from famine relief for Africa, to support for American farmers, to opposition to apartheid in South Africa.

But rarely have celebrities and musicians banded together to create new music in the heat of a presidential campaign.

The Black Eyed Peas' frontman, songwriter and producer known as will.i.am, along with director and filmmaker Jesse Dylan, son of another socially active musician, Bob Dylan, released a new song Friday that attempts to do just that...
The music video "Yes We Can" premiered on ABCNewsNow's "What's the Buzz" on Friday. It was inspired, will.i.am told ABC's Alisha Davis, by Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign and in particular by the speech he has gave after the New Hampshire primary.

The music video includes excerpts from the Obama speech and appearances from a range of celebrities...

Dylan and will.i.am say they did not coordinate the production or release of this video with the Obama campaign and the filmmakers say they don't even know if Obama is aware of the video.

'We didn't talk to anybody there... We just came together because it was an inspirational song about change coming out of his speech'".
Dylan said...

http://a.abcnews.com/Politics/story?id=4231523&page=1

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 05:10 AM

Somewhat off-topic from the original subject of this thread-is it really true as the above-mentioned article indicates that "rarely have celebrities and musicians banded together to create new music in the heat of a presidential campaign"?

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 05:26 AM

Here's a YouTube link to will i am's Yes We Can video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

That link includes the lyrics which are taken from the concession speech that the candidate-now President-Obama gave after the 2008 New Hampshire Democratic primary:

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

-snip-

That link also identifies the guest artists in that video by the time of their first on-screen appearance in that video.

As of this date & time, this particular video has 18,211,390 viewers. However, there are numerous other videos that feature will i am's
"Yes We Can" video on YouTube.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 11:29 AM

Using cell phone cameras to document newsworthy occurrences is another way that new technologies have societal if not political impact. The Rodney King case is one famous example of this.

Here's an excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King

"Rodney Glen King (born April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California) is an American who, on March 3, 1991, was the victim in an excessive force case committed by Los Angeles police officers. A bystander, George Holliday, videotaped much of the incident from a distance.
The footage showed LAPD officers repeatedly striking King with their batons. A portion of this footage was aired by news agencies around the world, causing public outrage that raised tensions between the black community and the LAPD and increased anger over police brutality and issues such as unemployment, racial tension, poverty, and numerous other social inequalities in the black/African-American community.
Four LAPD officers were later tried in a state court for the beating but were acquitted. The announcement of the acquittals sparked the 1992 Los Angeles Riots...
The news of acquittal triggered the Los Angeles riots of 1992. By the time the police, the US Army, the Marines and the National Guard restored order, the casualties included 53 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damages to 3,100 businesses, and nearly $1 billion in financial losses. Smaller riots occurred in other cities such as Las Vegas and Atlanta. On May 1, 1992, the third day of the L.A riots, King appeared in public before television news cameras to appeal for calm, asking:

'People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible for the older people and the kids?...It's just not right. It's not right. It's not, it's not going to change anything. We'll, we'll get our justice....Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we're all stuck here for a while. Let's try to work it out. Let's try to beat it. Let's try to beat it. Let's try to work it out.'"...

-snip-

I've read elsewhere that Rodney King had another prepared speech. However, in the spur of the moment made further history by asking that much quoted question "Can't we all get along?"

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Rifleman (inactive)
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 11:59 AM

I've always thought Twitter is one of the most aptley named websites on the net.

I made the mistake of briefly joining facebook, I am no longer a member. Political credibility on the so-called "social networks" is rather like accepting some rock musicians POV as the gospel. You do have to admire people posting their politcal views for all to see on said social networks but personally I'll go elsewhere before making up my mind on any issue.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: plnelson
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 01:32 PM

There's no doubt that social networking and technologies like YouTube impact politics, but I'm not convinced it's for the better.

The problem is that they encourage the sort of bumper-sticker, reactive, sound-bite "boob-ocracy" that has already created a society where, according to one recent poll, about 1 American in a thousand can name the 5 rights protected in the First Amendment to the US Constitution.   At the time the US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq the majority of Americans couldn't even find them on a map!   Today the average American is quick to tell you how his tax dollars should be spent but he hasn't got a clue how big the budget is or what the top 5 or 10 line items are!   

The issues that we face as a nation, and as a world, are deep and complex, and require citizens with a longer attention span than it takes to read a 140 character message or watch a 3 minute YouTube polemic.

Everyone has noted that US politics is more polarized than in the past.   I think this is because Americans now have such short attention spans that that can only handle a few slogans before they click away.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Acorn4
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 03:03 PM

I always seem to get people describing what their poodle is up to or other suchlike.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 03:36 PM

Keep reading Andrewsullivan.com as he is keeping up with things in Iran. This is a tipping point for the world, not just Iran and I am astounded that people seem so disinterested in it. I can understand fear, becau7se of what could be the end of this all, but I can't imagine not seeing the significance of this going on right before our eyes. And as I suggested here and elsewhere, and Andrew Sullivan has now told the world, wear green. mg

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 03:55 PM

I think this is because Americans now have such short attention spans that that can only handle a few slogans before they click away.
-plnelson

It seems to me that Americans (from the United States)have always had a short attention span. It's part of our astrological DNA. And even if you don't accept astrology as revealing some psychological potentials or truths, it certainly seems that even before YouTube, Twitter, and the other new technologies it didn't take much for Americans to move on from one surface or more significant subject to the next, and then to the next.

It's possible to argue that having so much knowledge at people's fingertips via the Internet and other new technologies could facilitated (if not has facilitated)increased knowledge (if not increased understanding). But it's true that people have to have the desire to learn-and that's the rub. So many people appear not to have that desire.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 05:10 PM

In other words, USAians don't quite have their finger on the button!

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 08:20 PM

Dismiss Twitter if you must, but don't consider yourself virtuous if you do so. It's the most dynamic and fascinating Internet environment I've had the pleasure of following ever.

This just in from the folks at Twitter:

Monday, June 15, 2009
Down Time Rescheduled
A critical network upgrade must be performed to ensure continued operation of Twitter. In coordination with Twitter, our network host had planned this upgrade for tonight. However, our network partners at NTT America recognize the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran. Tonight's planned maintenance has been rescheduled to tomorrow between 2-3p PST (1:30a in Iran).

Our partners are taking a huge risk not just for Twitter but also the other services they support worldwide—we commend them for being flexible in what is essentially an inflexible situation. We chose NTT America Enterprise Hosting Services early last year specifically because of their impeccable history of reliability and global perspective. Today's decision and actions continue to prove why NTT America is such a powerful partner for Twitter.

You can pack a lot into 140 characters. Usually a few words and a link to a blog or an article or to a site with more information or photos. And tinyurl and the other URL-compression sites have come into their own.

There are the usual bottom-feeders who are using bots to set up Twitter accounts and try to push porn. They're conspicuous if you take a look at your "followers" and they're easy to block. Twitter has metrics in place and when too many people block a new user in a short time they take a look then drop them if they're a scam. I also block the bible thumpers and land developers and high school twits who are trying to get as many followers as possible. Usually if you ignore them they'll go away, because, of course, the idea is the follow someone who will follow you back and add to your circle of whatever they're trying to build. That's one kind of silly Twitter use.

For grownups, Twitter is remarkable. I choose who to follow, and though I don't necessarily read every post or blog they refer to, I see what they're engaged in real-time. I've sent a few updates, I have re-tweeted a few messages. Mostly I read.

No one is going to make you join Twitter, and you can use it exactly as you see fit. I don't want only late breaking news, I want thoughtful commentary, I want reminders about what is coming up on a few favorite NPR and PBS programs, and I do have a few folks I follow who are in the stratosphere with followers. Mashable is one you might look in on--he has a keen eye for how a lot of this social networking world is changing. For pure puckish joy in things techno, David Pogue is my man. But I also follow a few writers, a few editorial folks, and a couple of comedians. If keeping tabs on the world doesn't interest you, then follow your friends and neighbors and folksong buddies and your sibs and don't be surprised if the larger digital world doesn't still manage to creep in and grab you by the intellect and imagination.

Tweets out of Iran, it's like text messages out of Sichuan last year--it was the way information was sent out to the world with the least amount of phone battery and the greatest impact. I don't Twitter on my phone, it would be going off all of the time. It's enough to read it on the web. But the idea that someone at a riot in Iran or an explosion in India or a crisis in the U.S. can take a phone photo, send it to their phone online account then send a link via Twitter, that's what is happening in the vacuum left when a big media stopped covering these events with reporters on the ground. You have to sort through it and decide about the veracity of the Anyman reporting, or you can follow others who know more about the region and who do that sorting for you, but it's what is happening today, and it is important. IMPORTANT.

Come on in, the water's fine. But it isn't a simple dip, it's an amazing place out there.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 09:12 PM

I was following the twitter (what.. stream?) of one of the people whose blogs I follow while he was twittering from the floor of the recent AIPAC convention. It was nice getting real time information while he was actually at the convention, but I found the twitterings far less useful, informational, and thought provoking than his regular blog posts. After he left the convention, I went back to just reading his blog. I suspect that he probably stopped twittering after he left the convention also. I see it as a good way to keep people up to speed with things that are going on in real time if they're really important. But I don't see any use for it the rest of the time, and definitely not for my own use to tell everyone how many peppers I picked today, or how I feel about the pain in my back. I'm that way with the wall in my facebook page. While other people I know like to report in a twittery kind of way about little things in their daily life on their facebook walls, I don't see much point myself. Different strokes for different folks.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 11:36 PM

I don't follow anybody who tells us how many Cokes they drank today or what they had for breakfast. Or rather, only the chefs on my list discuss meals during the day. I've looked at several interesting folks and decided to skip following them because they haven't quite "got it" as far as how often and what to post. An essay, one sentence at a time for 20 tweets in a row isn't the best use of Twitter. A blog entry written, then a tweet telling people it is now posted, is entirely suitable. There are people who post through the day, others who post in spurts of several at a time. I just don't want someone who posts all day long about nothing in particular.

Your old pals Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich Twitter, though not often. I'm only following his tweets, and he sends along notices when he'll be appearing on interviews. Diane Rehm is the one who finally got me to check it out. Their program doesn't use it much, but sometimes during programs if the calls are light they'll send out a real time tweet asking for responses to a specific question that are then read out on the air.

David Pogue has illustrated what you can do with Twitter by writing an entire book in the last couple of months, collected from over 25,000 posts he solicited based on several "questions of the day" that people responded to. It was really quite funny at times; he has some very clever followers.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 04:14 AM

Being unable to sleep, I decided to read the reader comments to that dailykos.com diary about Twitter and Iranhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/14/742453/-High-Definition-Democracy-

Here are some examples of those comments:

I resisted the urge [to Twitter]
and yes, probably 90% of it is silly (no, I do not need to know what someone in NY had for breakfast or what color someone in DC dyed their hair). But for the efficient and effective communication of news, it's the perfect medium.

I liken it to prairie grass. Individually, the grass isn't really that interesting. But it kindles easily, and when it catches ablaze, it sure gets your attention.
by georgia10 on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 05:34:40 PM PDT

**
it seems like it has its place
It's not particularly amazing as a piece of technology; it's just very minimalist, and therefore sometimes useful. You write short messages, it organizes them and lets people filter to find the ones they want (those posted by people they care about; those mentioning specific keywords; etc.). In theory it all could be done via email or blogs or forums or whatever; it's just that when the goal is frequent, lightweight, short communication, Twitter seems to fit something of a sweet spot. It helps that there are apps to let you send messages from most cell phones without much effort.
by Delirium on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 05:43:41 PM PDT

**

Technology is a tool, nothing more
Maybe Twitter will help the people of Iran overturn the theft of this "election." Then again, maybe it won't. No one here has a clue as to how it will turn out…

…There was a time when radio revolutionized politics. FDR used it brilliantly, as did, unfortunately, Goebbels. Later, TV revolutionized politics. Both JFK and Reagan used it to considerable effect. A generation from now, there will be new technology that makes the net seem as quaint as 3 networks dominating political coverage seems now.
It's way too early to be waxing rhapsodically about how Twitter and the net will change the political world.
by RFK Lives on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 05:09:13 PM PDT

**
It's been a constant feature
of the last 10 years that on the fly street resistance finds political use for new internet/telecommunications technology. Indymedia emerged as a recognized medium out of the Battle for Seattle and subsequent "anti-globalization" protests. The May 1 immigrant organizing in the US a couple years back was done heavily using Facebook. More recently, the Iceland uprising last fall used YouTube heavily, and the Greek rebellion of last December was almost entirely coordinated on Twitter.
by ActivistGuy on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 05:13:18 PM PDT


**
As far as I can tell, Twitter is most interesting here for getting information out of Iran; i.e. it's a way of us foreigners getting information. I don't see it being used all that much as a coordinating tool, though there are scattered attempts by Iranians to use it to try to sort out rumors and figure out what's going on. The actual coordinating seems to be going on mostly face-to-face, largely organized at the universities.
by Delirium on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 06:16:59 PM PDT

**

After reading all yesterday night and all day
I would have to say that I see very strong evidence of coordination through Twitter in country.

I have signed up to a lot of the different accounts and they are telling ech other information.

They did have people arrested through a trap laid and proagated through Twitter, but they managed to warn many and are taking precautions to keep that from happening again.
by COwoman on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 07:33:41 PM PDT

**

I just sit down at the computer for a few minutes, and I am so much more immediately and accurately informed about rapidly changing and aggressively suppressed developments in Iran than in any previous time in history. It's like having the private resources that only a few wealthy and wide-spread organizations previously enjoyed. And we don't have to sip sherry at the club to get the inside story, which has historically been more carefully controlled.

I only hope information is truly power. If public pressure loses the oomph or unitary focus of, say, the time of Gandhi, then information may lose some of its power to force change.
by geomoo on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 07:54:57 PM PDT

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 02:10 PM

Instant worldwide communication, in the long run, can ONLY be a positive force for informed democratic decision-making. In the short run, on the other hand, there are going to be plenty of "growing pains."

Those who choose not to immediately sign on to any particular site/service/whatever are certainly within their rights ~ but they're way out of line if they take the attitude that any such new technology will "never" be useful.

The early pitfalls, false starts, and "learning curve" necessary to the maturation process of each new development are not for everyone. The young, the adventurous, and those in critical situations where they really NEED something new and different (e.g., in China and Iran) will do the "heavy lifting" for the rest of us, until each new development becomes part of everyone's everyday reality.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Rifleman (inactive)
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 03:46 PM

"This is a tipping point for the world,,,"

in your humble opinion, of course..

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 03:56 PM

A few words, one visual image - these can change attitudes, lives. I lugged Freda the Peace Dove around all last summer with the attitude - "If just one person...":
www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/swr/community/27678049.html or

www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/swr/community/27678049.html -

On facebook, myspace, davis deluxe, I reach more people with a few words - sometimes getting the right words in the right order, hopefully. I have friended both the right and left wing family members; try not to be too offensive to the right. They won't hear me at all if I do that.

Still getting the hang of it all. Do not spend tons of time on it. But it is definitely a reasource.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 04:51 PM

I could not make the blue link work but the other does if you cut and paste - if you are interested is a newspaper article and picture about the Dove and me.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 11:57 PM

Rifleman said in your humble opinion, of course..

She didn't say that, and it isn't necessary. If you don't agree, say so. But don't diminish the importance of someone else's observation by suggesting they must preface it with such a term. It's terribly pretentious. Of you.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 12:35 AM

Twitter excerpts from http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/ :

"Twitter is making tehran look like a warzone. chill out people! report what's happening. not what you wish happened.

militia in streets of tehran all night trying to scare ppl

new (conflicting/replacement?) event at 4 pm 2day: peaceful march from inqilab to azadi circle.

5:15am, we're ready to go checking out university & Dorms. masood suggested karoubi's party HQ will be a good & safe place to get some news

conflicting reports from Rasht of many dead and all night street fighting

this near vanak, hotbed of much activity during past 4 days. would be 1st i've heard police arresting anti-mousavi thugs.

last night thousands stayed in streets between Parkway and Vanak sq until after 2am

unconfirmed - several Generals have been arested

situation in Ahwaz critical - many many dead in past 48 hrs - hundreds arrested and beaten

38 wounded by shotguns were admitted to Rasool hospital yesterday. among them 10 were killed.

more than 30 were killed in gunshots yesterday whose corpses were removed by Intelligent police from Imam hospital

I'm good and safe for now. just my leg wounded a little bit, I don't think I can run fast any time soon

i was debating an ahmadinejad supporter who said this was a velvet revolution attempt. funny i see it's dominant idea online.

State Tv just aired 2 election specialist(!) talking about it's impossible for election to be fraud cause we're talking about 10M difference

Iranians continue to receive pre-recorded messages from the gorvernment. They state that they are part of the protests.

DEATH TOLL IN IRAN 24!

students are fightng with basiji in..amir abad i believe

AFAIK students have evacuated U of Tehran dorms!

special forces burst in my friends home & arrested injured who sought shelter there says thre is blood on stairs

ignore all instructions from new twitters or twitters with no history of accurate posts

RT from Iran - our lives are in real danger now - we are the eyes - they need to stop us

Lots of fake Mousavi sites created 4 counter intel. WARNING THESE ARE FAKE: www.mirhoseyn.ir www.mirhoseyn.com SPREAD

Lots of counter intelligence from Shahrzadmo & ppl seem to be working for intelligence min., be careful ppl dont trust all

In ans. to some q's, we're not confined to our hotel, but barred from working outside, filming

Do NOT publicise proxy IP's over twitter, the moment you post iranian government will se it and block it.

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 01:39 AM

U.S. Steps Gingerly Into Tumult in Iran
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/world/middleeast/17media.html?_r=2&ref=us


"WASHINGTON — The Obama administration says it has tried to avoid words or deeds that could be portrayed as American meddling in Iran's presidential election and its tumultuous aftermath.

Yet on Monday afternoon, a 27-year-old State Department official, Jared Cohen, e-mailed the social-networking site Twitter with an unusual request: delay scheduled maintenance of its global network, which would have cut off service while Iranians were using Twitter to swap information and inform the outside world about the mushrooming protests around Tehran.

The request, made to a Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey, is yet another new-media milestone: the recognition by the United States government that an Internet blogging service that did not exist four years ago has the potential to change history in an ancient Islamic country.

"This was just a call to say: 'It appears Twitter is playing an important role at a crucial time in Iran. Could you keep it going?' " said P.J. Crowley, the assistant secretary of state for public affairs.

Twitter complied with the request, saying in a blog post on Monday that it put off the upgrade until late Tuesday afternoon — 1:30 a.m. Wednesday in Tehran — because its partners recognized "the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran." The network was working normally again by Tuesday evening.

The State Department said its request did not amount to meddling. Mr. Cohen, they noted, did not contact Twitter until three days after the vote was held and well after the protests had begun.

"This is completely consistent with our national policy," Mr. Crowley said. "We are proponents of freedom of expression. Information should be used as a way to promote freedom of expression."

The episode demonstrates the extent to which the administration views social networking as a new arrow in its diplomatic quiver. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talks regularly about the power of e-diplomacy, particularly in places where the mass media are repressed.

Mr. Cohen, a Stanford University graduate who is the youngest member of the State Department's policy planning staff, has been working with Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other services to harness their reach for diplomatic initiatives in Iraq and elsewhere...

Referring to Mir Hussein Moussavi, the main Iranian opposition candidate, Mr. Crowley said, "We watched closely how Moussavi has used Facebook to keep his supporters informed of his activities."...

Tehran has been buzzing with tweets, the posts of Twitter subscribers, sharing news on rallies, police crackdowns on protesters, and analysis of how the White House is responding to the drama.

With the authorities blocking text-messaging on cellphones, Twitter has become a handy alternative for information-hungry Iranians. While Iran has also tried to block Twitter posts, Iranians are skilled at using proxy sites or other methods to circumvent the official barriers.

A Twitter account called IranNewsNow sent a message to CNN's Twitter account that read, "don't listen to what iran gov says u can or can't do! You can report the pics/vids coming from Twitter!"...

There were also suspicions that some pro-government forces might be using new-media outlets to send out misinformation. One popular opposition site, Persiankiwi, warned its followers on Tuesday to ignore instructions from people with no record of reliable posts.

In addition to Twitter, YouTube has been a critical tool to spread videos from Iran when traditional media outlets have had difficulty filming the protests or the ensuing crackdown. One YouTube account, bearing the user name "wwwiranbefreecom," showed disturbing images of police officers beating people in the streets. On Monday, Lara Setrakian, an ABC News journalist, put out a call for video on Twitter, writing, "Please send footage we can't reach!"

The BBC's Persian-language television channel said that for a time on Tuesday, it was receiving about five videos a minute from amateurs, even though the channel is largely blocked within Iran. One showed pro-government militia members firing weapons at a rally.

"We've been struck by the amount of video and eyewitness testimony," said Jon Williams, the BBC world news editor. "The days when regimes can control the flow of information are over."

As new media proliferate, however, traditional journalists are having a harder and harder time.

Journalists were told on Tuesday that they could not cover protests without permission. The restrictions "effectively confine journalists to their offices," a spokesman for the BBC said."...

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: 3refs
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 01:57 AM

"If you'd come today You could have reached the whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication".

Now this little quote from Judas(a little off or not)in Jesus Christ Superstar certainly has more meaning today.

If you have something that catches the attention of the masses, be it shocking, stimulating, enlightening, comforting or new to the world, it certainly is easier with our mass communication capabilities!

The question is, is this a good thing? We have people living in mud huts checking the hovels in Beverly Hills and asking themselves a question or two. It's no wonder about a third of the planets population has more than just a little hate for the way some live, and complain!

Subject: RE: BS: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Politics
From: Azizi
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 12:46 PM

Here's a link to a YouTube video about the role of twitter in the current Iranian crisis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHp2lqYcf3I
The Revolution Will Be Digitized: Nico Pitney's Live Iran Blogging @ Rachel Maddow

"Nico Pitney on "The Rachel Maddow Show" discussing his live blogging on Huffington Post of 2009 Iranian Presidential election aftermath - June 16, 2009"