Louisiana Internet Software & Technology Association Blog : Louisiana Internet Software & Technology Association : LISTA Blog : LA Technology Law News & Updates

Digital Interactive Media including Twitter and YouTube are fueling and energizing a popular uprising in Iran. While traditional media operations face official steps attempting to thwart their reporting in Iran, the enormous number of informal social media "journalists" are shooting video of protests from their cell phones that is then posted on YouTube and Twitter and posting reports about protests in real time on Twitter. These activities seem to be energizing the uprising in Iran. Wow!!! Digital Interactive Media in the form of social media networks has come of age. 

Critics keep suggesting that Twitter may never make any money, but imagine how one would feel if their web platform was supporting a popular uprising against an illegitimate government that is part of a repressive regime. Money may not be everything. Congratulations to the owners of Twitter. Their web platform may facilitate the reform of the Iranian government that many years of United States government pressure has failed to do.

Some of the related stories can be found at Iran's Twitter Revolution on the Nation web site and also on the New York Times web site in the article entitled, In Iran, Iron Cleric, Now Blinking. These events in Iran are a huge step forward for the role and relevance of digital interactive media in the form of social media networks. It is a revolution - - - In this case, literally.

Erich P Rapp.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The Twitter organization has launched a "Verified Account" service in Beta this week. So now, you know that @TheEllenShow is really Ellen DeGeneres and @The_Real_Shaq is really Shaquille O'Neal when you read their tweets. Well sort of. If the Twitter profile says that the account is verified, you will know that the celebrity in question has confirmed that the profile is approved by him or her. The verified badge does not, of course, indicate who is actually writing the tweets, i.e., whether it is the celebrity themselves or a ghost tweeter.

One major celebrity Twitter account is stopping new entry production. Trent Reznor has left Twitter (at least for now). He comments at some length on his social media experience on his blog in an entry entitled, Online communities, etc. His commentary is interesting glimpse at the celebrity or "public figure" experience in the social media era and thus worth a few minutes to read.

So much for the special problems of the famous in a social media driven world.

Erich P Rapp.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link