The Revolution Will Be Twittered - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
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The current violent protests in Iran -- aside from offering the hopeful possibility of a significant change in Iran's government -- are interesting because they provide a small window into how people use information & communications technologies (ICTs) for political action. As Iranians keep Twittering and using whatever other ICTs have not yet been blocked or corrupted by one of the sides, it seems that the connectivity provided by these technologies makes an important difference to the ability of people to join forces with the like-minded and act.
The Obama campaign also used ICTs to get people to join forces with the like-minded and act.
So, are Iranians using ICTs like Americans? Are we witnessing the birth of democratic action in Iran? The end of centralized control? Do ICTs infect populations with democratic zeal?
I think the evidence is clear that ICTs enable increased political participation. I'm just not sure about equating political participation with democratic political participation.
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