CPRF09 Presentation: Twitter Free Iran
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Communications Policy Research Forum '09 presentation on the micro-blogging platform Twitter, the US State Department, and Irans 2009 election crisis. Co-presented with Centre for Policy Developments Ben Eltham.
CPRF09 Presentation: Twitter Free Iran
- 1. Twitter Free Iran Alex Burns & Ben Eltham Communications Policy Research Forum 2009 20th November 2009
- 2. What is Twitter? Value Proposition Founded in 2006, CEO Biz Stone Microblogging platform 140 character short messages: real-time comment & hashtags Venture Capital Valuation Feb. 2009: $US35 million Sep. 2009: $US1 billion
- 3. Dipnote: US State Departments Twitter Page Launched February 2009 and praised by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in June 2009
- 4. The Twitter Effect: Real-Time Chatter
- 5. #IranElection: 12h June 5th August 2009
- 6. #IranElection Events: June 2009 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
- 7. Research Questions Did Twitter benefit from Irans 2009 election? What role did Twitters users play and how effective was it? Why did the US State Department intervene with Twitter?
- 8. Conceptual Theorists Theorist Level of Analysis Graham Allison Perspectives Terry Deibel Foreign Policy, Policy Instruments Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Soft Power Charles Tilly Regimes, Collective Violence
- 9. Study Frameworks Perspectivism (Allison): competing explanatory and conceptual frameworks to explain the same events: Twitter and hedge fund traders on oil/commodities markets Global activist campaigns Iranian protestors versus Iranian Basij paramilitary forces US State Department versus Neoconservatives, and other agencies Event Studies coding (Tilly) of election events Foreign Policy levers (Deibel) and Soft Power (Nye)
- 10. Deibels Foreign Policy Feedback Loops
- 11. Charles Tillys Coding Columbia University historian and political scientist and sociologist Coding framework for comparative analysis and events Actors use violence as a strategic means to pursue goals Reveals the interactive dynamics and complexity of #IranElection protests, and the pivotal role of Irans Basij paramilitary forces
- 12. Neoconservative Worldview Twitter Effect Peaceful Regime Change? Demonstration Effect
- 13. Tilly Coding for #IranElection Events Date Event Tilly Category 13th-15th June 2009 Tehran street protests Violent Ritual 17th June 2009 Iranian football team wears Opportunism; Non-Violent green Protest 18th June 2009 Central Tehran protests Non-Violent Protests, Brawls, Scattered Attacks 20th June 2009 IRINN report of death near Opportunism, Scattered Khomeinis mausoleum Attacks 20th June 2009 Basij shoot Neda Soltan Individual Aggression, Opportunism
- 14. Arik Fraimovichs Help Iran Election
- 17. Neda Soltan Neda Soltan shot opportunistically by Basij on 20th June 2009 Shooting filmed on camera-phone, uploaded to YouTube Soltan became an emotive symbol for Iranian protestors
- 18. US State Department Role Asked Twitter to delay server upgrade on 16th June 2009: reported in The NewYork Times, TheWashington Post, and Time Twitters CEO Biz Stone distances himself from the request Possible deeper motivations for US State Department request: History of Radio Free broadcasts in Cold War Europe and Iran Aware of diaspora satellite broadcasts and Irans 1999 student riots Interested in social media platforms for public diplomacy Open up opportunities for Iranian dissent during a tine-window Respond to neoconservative critics who contend it has little experience Potential quasi-experimental test of rumour vectors and propaganda
- 19. Evaluating Twitter Twitter Benefited indirectly from the election events: VC valuation increase Twitter Users Global Activists Mobilised to support Irans protestors, shared communitarian ideals Twitter Users Basij paramilitary forces Used Twitter to identify, hunt down, and in some cases kill protestors US State Department May have monitored Twitters chatter during election crisis
- 20. Conclusion Soft Power and social media are limited to effect outcomes such as peaceful regime change Twitter may be prone to rumour and social contagion effects US policymakers were unable to understand Iran on its own terms (RAND intelligence expert Gregory Treverton) Different actors will use new technologies for their own ends: understanding and anticipating such different uses is critical Those who championed Twitters use in Irans 2009 election may not have considered this some paid for their enthusiastic adoption of Twitter with their lives
- 22. Thank You! Alex Burns: alex@alexburns.net and @alexburns Ben Eltham: ben.eltham@gmail.com and @beneltham