What I'm Learning from Iran

The Iranian election and the subsequent civil action has shown us a picture of the future of civil unrest.  We have seen digital tools being embraced to organize, generate support and to bypass restrictions on state controlled communications.  It has been nothing short of amazing.  And unlike Obama, the financial resources of the Iranian people were close to nil (by comparison).

So what has changed?

• There have been some pretty amazing stats.
• The state department contacted Twitter to request they delay a maintenance outage because of the potential impact on Iranians to self organize.
• YouTube waiving their policies regarding violent and disturbing images to allow Iranians to share what was happening with the rest of the world.
• And the NY Time has written a great article on what we've learned about social media tools from this experience.
• http://iran.twazzup.com/

But none of these are what has changed. 

I am what has changed.  I now follow (via twitter and facebook) a variety of Iranians who are fighting for what they believe in.  I am awakened in the night by the buzz of eerily terse messages about announcements, violence or calls for assistance.

It took a while for it to sink in that I am not connected to a wire service or news bureau.  Rather, there is a single individual out there typing into the digital darkness hoping that his voice will be heard and make a difference. I lie awake waiting for more tweets to come, not knowing for how long each individual will be able to stay online.

There are problems.  It's impossible to tell truth from here-say or outright disinformation.  But this experience I speak of isn't about source validation or credibility.  This is about being connected to someone I don't know, thousands of miles away who is fighting for something I believe in.

I can no longer shake Iran from of my mind.  I find myself researching the history of the region.  I click on links Moussavi is sending out to the world and I am trapped by the flood of photos and videos.  And I'm not alone.

My twitter stream is exploding with retweets from a growing list of sources.  There are disturbing facts, links, calls for assistance and even strange campaigns to show our support.

I am a social being and I am compelled to think of myself as a good person.  And now that I am connected to these people, I lay awake praying for their safety and that one day I will meet one of them or even know their true names. All of which makes me wonder just how powerful that simple choice to follow someone via twitter may be.

I am not a digital utopian who believes the Net will remove all fighting and all wars. But I am a believer in the power of these tools to change how we see the world.  And I'm given hope by what a few have been able to achieve against increasing odds by leveraging these tools.

Now back to my day job - selling products to westerners.