Iranian Revolt More Twitter then Obama
by Dr. Tony Magana
In response to the recent Iranian protests and their relation to the prevalent access of Iranians to the Internet, some are saying in America including a few conservatives that we need to promote President Obama further on government sponsored media like the Voice of America. But is creating a government bureaucracy bolstering and cultivating a stronger government controlled official media the right message to send? I rarely conflict with the Heritage Foundation, nevertheless, this time I disagree with at least a part of Helle C. Dale’s recommendation to strengthen American government broadcasts.
It’s too early to state what will be the ultimate outcome of the public uprising in Iran- a major regime change or much less, however, like other upheavals before it, communication among participants made organizing protests feasible in the face of an oppressive and vigilant tyranny.
Observers have even identified the recent incidences in Iran the “Twitter Revolution” because many allege that dissidents in Iran have been communicating with one another and conveying their message through the outside world via the internet social website tools, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, MySpace, and the Asian website Orkut.
Media pundits are remarking that the inspiration for the revolt was at least in part if not markedly due to the recent speech by President Barack Obama made in Cairo calling for increased understanding between America and the Islamic world. The Internet savvy Obama administration used sophisticated internet technology to get the message out to Arabs and other Muslims throughout the world via text-messaging, podcasts, live webcasts, and social media websites in their native languages including Farsi, the language of most of Iran.
The societal conflict in Iran has much to do about internal broken promises in a failing economy and a perception of election misdeeds and little to do in reality with a sudden shift towards pro-American views. The use of this technology in a time of crisis gave the Persians an experience at democracy in action which no speech ever could.
The United State continues to broadcast information in Arabic and Farsi through Radio Free Europe and video via the Internet on Voice of America. Portions of funding for these particular programs was cut during the Bush administration, and now is finding new advocates, including conservatives, asking for reinstatement or even expansion.
If we compare the countries of Iran and North Korea we can clearly identify a difference in exposure to world news and opinion. Many young people and the middle class in Iran live in cities with access to the Internet and computers. Unfortunately in North Korea, the average resident is lucky to get a few hours of electricity per day to watch to their black and white television featuring only North Korea news. They unlike the Iranians, have no real ties to the outside world. Access to outside world very likely does embolden populations to want better lives with more democracy.
The real question to be asked then was Obama’s speech that which inspired the uprising or was it the fact that a technology had been made available to the average citizen of Iran that made the difference? No disrespect to President Obama but I think the technology and its availability might have made the difference when the Iranian’s became upset over the election even if the President had not made his speech. You see the very existence of such technology and that it is not a part of any official government is the real revolution that likely sparks the Iranian people. This technology says that someone other then a government official can give an opinion and disseminate it freely.
Our government should absolutely continue to foster a free press and the development of more communication tools that allow the free exchange of ideas between individuals and groups anywhere in the world. Rather then creating our own version of “official propaganda” we just need to let the world have access to the same types of unfiltered vigorous and sometimes very contentious discussions that make up American life. The visualization of free open debate without punishment for expressions of view that conflict with authority is the American message we most want to transmit.
Establishing official government networks which give the official American credence on Voice of America or Radio Free Europe is too Orwellian for my tastes. If we do not let government control what the content will be for substantive broadcasts in our own country than why should we let the government choose what gets broadcast in our name abroad. Government should expand the world’s access to free speech, a free press, and not ever use the new technology to allow government to supplant the function of the press or to potentially gain the control of the message. This time the media was the message.
Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review. Follow him on twitter http://twitter.com/contempomagazin
