Twitter users go green for Iran
In accordance with Iran’s flag, its World Cup qualifying soccer team, and thousands (millions?) of Iranian residents wearing green in opposition to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s supposed fradulent electoral win, Twitter users, too, are going green.
With numerous Iranians sending Twitter updates at the risk of arrest and death, global Twitterati are taking notice, retweeting significant updates, and reacting in solidarity.
As I wrote in my last blog post, Twitter is not mindless. People recognize its capabilities and are using it appropriately.
One could say Twitter is experiencing puberty, as Rob writes:
Twitter users around the world became intimately aware of a complex political situation about an incredibly important place, from the perspective of the people within Iran’s borders. When the opposition party started to use green, the traditional color of Iran, to represent their cause, Twitter users stepped up, hundreds tinting their avatar pictures with green to indicate their support. When Twitter users realized that retweets containing the ID of the original poster were circulated, it would make it easier for the Iranian government to track them, a clarion call went out to help minimize the impact on those users by not naming them in retweets.
Echoing my brothers and sisters in Twitterville, I adjusted the hue and saturation levels of my picture today, evident from these before and after shots:
For more information on how to use Twitter correctly–and prevent the unnecessary arrest of Iran’s population–please follow Cara Ellison’s 12-step guide to twittering the Iran revolution.
Who’s who in the above mosaic starting at the top, from left to right: Daniel Brenton, Aaron Strout, Thierry de Baillon, John Stack, Micah Sifry, Neal Wiser, Shel Holtz, Jennifer Wilbur, Shel Israel, Paul Canning
UPDATE: After reading some thought-provoking comments below by Danny Brown and Wayne John, and further fodder in today’s Los Angeles Times, I’ve decided to regress back to color. The situation in Iran won’t be resolved for a long time, so while I support reform, I don’t see the point to keep my face green.
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Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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It’s good to see so many Twittering for a good cause. I’ll have to tinker with my photo now. Thanks for sharing!
~ Kristi
New from Kikolani: Benefits of Blogging – Building a Community
If I wasn’t such a failure at photoshop, I’d probably jump on board with this. In the meantime I shall stick to keeping my Twitter account centered in Iran.
New from Stuart Foster: Community Creation isn’t Enough.
There’s a guy running a Twitter app to turn them green
Ari –
Thank you so much. We’re doing a good thing here.
– Daniel
New from Daniel Brenton: Gratitude Watch – 2009-06-16
Thanks for raising visibility on this, Ari! The easiest (free) way to “green” your avatar is to upload to Picnik.com and under Create choose “night vision”. Voila!
New from Jen Wilbur: ozzy up close
Ari – really nice job on the write up. We’re part of something bigger here and your absolutely right, Twitter/social are playing an important roll! Thanks for including me.
New from Aaron Strout: Live Blogging the 140 Character Conference
I completely disagree. We shouldn’t meddle in the affairs of others as it is well known that they will only see the west’s involvement as proof that we’re the devil or something stupid like that.
I do hope that they get what they want. In the meantime, I’m keeping my nose well out of that mess. Not my problem, nor any of the people that hopped on the next do-gooder bandwagon.
I love the fact that they are fighting and standing up for a fair election, and that is something THEY need to do for themselves. Anything else is simply cheating them out of a just reward, and that is one of learning to stand up to authority and fight for the right to say what you want to say, do what you want to do, and everything else in between.
We constantly stick our noses where our “political, financial, personal interests” lie, and usually that means into where someone else’s personal interests lie.
For the first time, the government is taking a lessor approach by really not saying much about it. However, this time the people on the social networks are helping spread the word.
Well, the word is no good unless you’re going to act on it in some way. It makes no more difference to me that Iran is free, and when those people finally make the difference they are looking for, they’ll get it, because they deserve it and earned it. Not because we wore green.
Why is it people want to latch on to some common cause like this, yet Darfur and so many other fights and skirmishes go completely unnoticed and are ultimately ignored.
You’re latching onto a cause that will ultimately mean absolutely nothing to you only because everyone else is doing it.
How is this more important than our population growth? Or cutting down the Amazon. I’m not a tree hugger, but those seem like bigger issues that we should be….I don’t know , wear brown for?
Seem silly and elementary to me. Sorry to dump on your blog like this…I think I popped a blood vessel. lol
I really do hope they get freedom over there. They have to want it though, otherwise it just won’t work.
New from Wayne: Why I Decided To Migrate to WordPress
I agree with Wayne on several points, but the main one is that while the situation in Iran isn’t minor, there are millions of other people that are going through the same thing day in, day out.
Where’s Twitter’s support for the people of Tibet and the Chinese oppression of that country? Or, as Wayne says, the genocide in Darfur? Or the rights of women in the Middle East? Or the child sex trafficking trade in the Eastern Bloc?
The planet is dying from our abuse of it. Species are disappearing from our hunting down of them. Children are being put to war in Somalia, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Yet these stories either get swept aside or briefly mentioned then conveniently forgotten.
I’m curious, if Twitter had been around 8 years ago, would the same outcry have happened over George Bush’s “victory” in the U.S. election?
I hope democracy wins out in Iran – I also hope people that are wearing green today might take up the mantel for Darfur, the Middle East, Tibet or similar afterward. Just to show the same awareness and caring.
Will that happen? Time will tell, I guess.
New from Danny Brown: Why Twitter Mobile Apps Don’t Interest Me
Thanks, I was beginning to feel quite alone with these thoughts and concerns about what I see happening.
It seems to be the latest craze, and once again, I find it completely silly and misguided. Nice show of support, but is it necessary and what exactly might it accomplish other than to show that one is “supporting” some cause.
I still have to say, So What!
sidenote – Go Iranians, go get yourself some of that there democracy.
New from Wayne: Weird Al Yankovick: Craigslist
I see your point Wayne, but I disagree. The people in Iran were Twittering and making themselves heard for a reason. That reason is they want solidarity from the world for their cause. When they hear that others are behind them across the globe they may become empowered, realize they are not alone int his fight and institute real change.
Symbolism is a powerful thing. I personally did not change my avatar. I don’t take up causes very easily but I respect and admire the people who have changed their avatars to green to show the people across the world and in Iran that they (we) are with them in this fight. It is not stupid, silly or worthless. It is powerful and important.
And thought there are a thousand other causes to get behind some people pick one over another because it touches them in some way. For some it’s hunger. For others it’s the fight against ALS (my company). And still others, it’s standing behind people halfway across the world as they fight against oppression. It may end up that things do not change in Iran tomorrow or next week but if young people over there know that good people are wearing or tinting their avatars green in support, that may have an affect that resonates for years or generations to come.
Imagine how powerful that one picture of that student standing up to Chinese tanks was 20 years ago. Did that symbolic moment institute wholesale change? Did it inspire people? Also, remember back to a time when you were younger, more idealistic. Didn’t symbolism mean a lot more to you than it does now? It did to me.
I’m happy people still carry that meaning in their lives despite the problems we have here. I think that the Iranians are inspiring us to be better. And all round, that’s a good thing.
I see all of your points, but I think your comments are mostly directed toward the bandwagon-jumpers (maybe that was the point?). I didn’t don the green just for the hell of it, I did it to show support for the Iranian protestors while their government continues to strengthen its stranglehold on their communications to the outside world. Basically, I did it to let it be known that I want to help by being a conduit of information. The fact that everyone else is doing it too is great for solidarity and all, but don’t just knock the wave of green icons because you assume it’s all superficial. There are some of us vegan, bicycling, permaculturing, alternative educating, human rights advocates out here trying to do everything we can on every front possible, and work toward the positive in any aspect I can. Maybe I’m not old enough to completely lose faith in my ideals and become an empty shell of myself yet, and I don’t think I can single-handedly “save the world”, but I can say that it doesn’t help when snarky pessimists like you look down upon a movement only for the faults of superficial ones.
Fair points. Do you suggest I shed the green?
Well, all I really wanted to say was that following crowd mentality isn’t going to change anything and that I see this effort as short-sighted.
Like Danny pointed out so well, there are so many other things that should be considered more important, yet we don’t see that level of attachment by anyone sporting a green avatar.
If you did it, I say leave it…. Of course, you could publicly renounce going green as a way to remind people that there are other, more critical and important events happening in the world, and that we shouldn’t allow one country to derail and sidetrack attention from them.
Iran will be Iran, and whatever happens is going to happen. The western world needs to steer way clear of them and allow them to grow up and become big boys all on their own. Intervention and showing support could possibly negate the goals for that region.
But, what do I know? I’m just a programmer that would love to see the world in a state of peaceful anarchy. My own dream for the world that could never be realized…but I still hope for it.
I noticed you’re running for an office (good luck with that btw), so showing green might actually help in your case. Shows you’re involved, have a worldly thought process and what-not.
Someone like myself would ask “Just how far does that involvement go? Is he green because everyone else is doing it? Is he green because he feel a deep passion for the Iranians and their fight for democracy? If he is, then what level of passion is he showing for *insert long list of issues here* as well?”
I think you follow your heart much like I do. That’s all you need to do in my opinion. It’s really all good any way you slice it. I only wanted to vent some frustrations since I don’t see anyone else saying what I had to say. Everyone seems to be blindly following the “social media gurus”, and that can be dangerous too.
Perhaps that’s enough opinion to help you decide for yourself what to do. Regardless, I’ll still be reading your stuff Ari. Cheers!
New from Wayne: Weird Al Yankovick: Craigslist
Hey there Ari,
This comment probably means nothing now, but I’d say you no more need to “shed the green” than people need to wear it.
It’s purely a personal decision if you do or don’t. I simply offered reasons I don’t (as did Wayne), but there are reasons that people feel they should wear it.
It’s the kind of democratic choice that Iranians are calling for at the minute, which is why I support what they’re after in other ways without necessarily joining a particular “movement”.
Cheers!
New from Danny Brown: Moving to DISQUS Comments, Please Stand By
No need to use Photoshop! Someone made an application that takes your Twitter avatar and applies a green overlay to it. If you want to jump on the Iran bandwagon, all it takes is one click. http://helpiranelection.com/
To All –
Yes, it is clear there is a trendiness to this particular “bandwagon,” but I think there’s a point here that’s been missed. An unexpected outcome (at least, from my vantage point) is the recognition of the reality, now being acted on by uncounted Twitter users, and (for better or worse) supported by the Twitter organization and sanctioned by the American government, that nations are not alone.
I won’t be so bold as to overlay some moral conclusion or ethical obligation. But it does seem clear to me, given whatever segment of the world population has SMS and internet access, that this segment now has the ability to raise its voice.
I will venture that, again in my opinion, in the long run this encourages dialogue — as opposed to creating isolationism — and because of this, it is (capital letters intended) A Good Thing.
To answer the question: “when do I turn back to my original avatar colors?” — when I see progress in the situation that satisfies me, or it becomes it is hopeless. Fair enough?
– Daniel
New from Daniel Brenton: Gratitude Watch – 2009-06-16
Wayne – I understand your point, but think it might be a bit overstated. Yes, there are millions of causes our there. I don’t see how showing your personal support (not Twitter’s by yours via Twitter) hurts any other cause or is “meddling.” I’ve changed my avatar a number of times to raise awareness of an issue. Sometimes for one day, other times for longer. Each times it was for something I personally felt was important.
Maybe some of the actions taken (like someone on the state department asking Twitter to reschedule a maintenance, and others) are possibly meddling where we should not, I don’t think the simple act of adding a specific hue to your avatar to show your support for a cause takes away from any other cause.
New from Jen Wilbur: if you’re sick of riptide, sorry.
I think it’s very interesting how the Iran issue has caught hold on Twitter. I would think the cause is around the fact that the Iranians are using Twitter heavily as a resource to communicate.
Whereas I realise that Iran is one issue and one cause, I really don’t get the argument that this means people don’t care about anything else. There is no way to indicate all the causes you support at one time with a Twitter avatar. I am concerned with many causes and have done work to raise awareness, campaigned, protested etc on many issues. Caring about what happens in Iran doesn’t change that.
In terms of what it will achieve, well at the least it is solidarity, and what is wrong with that? I don’t see how that constitutes meddling in anyone’s book.
Great news, I am glad to see people making a positive impact. Love the pics too :- 0
What a breath of fresh air to have dissenting opinions and to do it in an adult fashion.
-Wayne, Danny, your points are fair but as a few other folks have touched on, this isn’t about the U.S. government intervening but rather individuals from countries around the world showing solidarity for a good and timely cause.
Regarding the other issues you brought up Danny, it is too bad that we’re not doing more/showing our “colors” for Darfur, Tibet, and other very important social causes. Although I’ve seen a number of people on Twitter, Facebook and other places carrying that torch. Either way, I would argue that not supporting one cause because there are so many others that need to be supported might mean that we don’t support any other cause (there are just too many to count).
Again, I respect all opinions in this thread and am happy to see it going down in such a thoughtful, constructive fashion.
best,
Aaron
New from Aaron Strout: Live Blogging the 140 Character Conference
Hey there Aaron,
Good points (as expected)
I agree – it’s not about the U.S. Govt (that’s another ironic take for another discussion). It is about choice and I 100% support that.
But here’s the thing. I’ve actually recieved DM’s from people telling me I should be wearing green or else I’m not being honest to myself or supporting democracy.
Never mind the fact that I’ve already taken part in three separate ways offline to show the people of Iran my support. Or the six online petitions that I’ve signed so far (two of which are officialdom-led).
But that’s fine, because I don’t shout it from the rooftops. And I’m not saying wearing a green avatar is shouting from the rooftops per se. It’s encouraging, like you say, that so many have taken it up. There are just different ways to show support.
I was just tempering it a little bit in how do we choose? And do we place rigged elections above the genocide of hundreds of thousands?
It’s a much wider issue obviously, and one that I’m grateful we have the choice to discuss and decide.
Cheers!
New from Danny Brown: Moving to DISQUS Comments, Please Stand By
There are some good points as why some shouldn’t do this in support. I think it’s a personal decision. I don’t think it’s “meddling” as it is just a way for people to show their agreement that something is wrong. Sure, there aren’t any big movements at the moment for all of the other problems in the world, but to say that you shouldn’t show support for one because there is not support for another seems wrong.
It’s kind of like the people who say we shouldn’t be spending so much money to work on one issue because of the other issues out there. Instead of saying don’t help x because you should be helping y, just state your reasons why you are helping y, and let those who want to help x do so.
~ Kristi
New from Kikolani: Benefits of Blogging – Building a Community
Before yesterday, there was only one other time when I changed my Twitter avatar to conform to a “viral movement” (for lack of a better term). Several months ago, over a single weekend, people uploaded pictures of themselves from the 1980s. That was fun, so I participated, too.
For what it’s worth. But you can keep being green. Don’t let my reversed action stop you.
I just went green on Twitter after hesistating to do so earlier this week. A nationwide telephone poll in Iran conducted by Ken Ballen and Patrick Doherty three weeks prior to the election showed overwhelming support for Ahmadinejad. But this opinion piece in today’s New York Times by an Iranian student finally swayed me by pointing out that the poll preceded unprecedented televised debates between the candidates that may have shifted support and momentum significantly.
I’m not the kind of guy who generally wears wrist bands or lapel pins but this mass demonstration is uniquely related to Twitter and therefore I’d like to express my solidarity with the demonstrators in Twitter. These are people who want to engage with the world and value free expression and I welcome that.
I think this is a really interesting discussion, because there is definitely an element of bandwaggoning on Twitter. Whether it’s retweeting, changing your avatar for Charity:Water, 12for12k, EFCA, a democratic Iran, or any of a number of issues. In fact, one of the reasons nonprofit and political organizations (as well as brands) are so eager to get on Twitter is that if people agree with you, they can help spread your message.
I generally keep my avatar as a neutral space and am pretty particular about what causes I retweet about for the sake of what’s already a pretty mixed following of nonprofiteers, politicos, and other groups community members. And, I fully support people having the choice of whether or not to use their avatar for one cause or another. I hope people are thoughtful about the things that they choose to support on Twitter.
However, I don’t think that people should feel reluctant to show their solidarity with the people of Iran just because the Twitterverse hasn’t joined in masses to support the people Darfur, Tibet, or affected by other atrocities. If anything it’s an opportunity to raise people’s global awareness and perhaps one day Twitter, and society’s consciousness, will evolve to a point where we do have active tweeting and supporting all of the world’s marginalized people.
Until then, if you sincerely support a democratic Iran and want to show your solidarity with their people, I don’t think you should back away from going green just because you/we weren’t there for other groups, or because you’re being pegged as being on a bandwagon.
New from Kevin B. Gilnack: Ranting on Nonprofit Media Coverage
Not sure I agree with your definition of “bandwagon”, Kevin – is non-profit support or causes you believe in bandwagons? Isn’t joining in a meme more bandwagon in approach? Anyhoo, that’s by the by
I agree 100% with you – and nowhere have I said people shouldn’t wear a green avatar (though I’ve had plenty people tell me I should). It is a personal choice, much like are you pro or anti-abortion; for or against stem cell research; for or against capital punishment, etc.
There are numerous ways to support democracy in Iran; I choose to do so not via a green avatar but in other ways, while others go green. Is any side wrong? No – they’re both fighting for the same cause which, at the end of the day, is what’s important.
New from Danny Brown: Moving to DISQUS Comments, Please Stand By
As I was reading, I began to contemplate changing my avatar back to the original colors. It’s true that this situation will not be resolved overnight. It’s true that, ultimately, this situation is in the hands of the citizens of Iran. And it’s true that I most likely will be reverting back to original sometime soon.
From time to time, I find myself paralyzed into inaction, waiting for every single fact to come out about a situation before weighing in. I think, meh, someone else can lead the charge, I don’t have enough information to get involved.
In this situation, I wanted to take a timely stand NOT to tell the Iranian government what to do, but rather to encourage them to allow transparency and access to the press. Regardless of what actually happened (and continues to happen), it only makes the situation worse when the press is denied access and only rumors and unconfirmed reports get through to the rest of the world.
It is tempting to say, Hey, what about ? Aren’t they worth supporting, too? But therein lies madness. As others have said (far better than I could say it), it’s impossible to support EVERYTHING equally, and human nature to pick on issue over another to support. And I do support a variety of causes in various ways. The reason that this particular action (green Twitter avatar) seemed so relevant is that Twitter is being used (and watched) as one of the few ways left for those inside Iran to communicate at the moment.
To be fair, it’s also possible that there are aspects of the current situation that I do not fully grasp. If and when I receive further information, I will consider it and act accordingly.
For now, based on the information that I have been able to discover, I’ve chosen to wear the green. I like to think of it as a way to start a discussion (like this one!).
I think true freedom has to be won by the people of a nation. If the people do not want freedom, then they do not deserve it. I know that sounds harsh, but if YOU want something YOU need to go and get it or go about the means of doing so. When you look back at the birth of this nation, the French could have helped the colonialsts all along, but if the people did not want to be free from England, would the American Revolution have succeeded? In 1979, if the Iranian people did not want the Shah deposed, would thair Islamic Revolution have succeeded?
However, I think many people are following the events going on Iran for a few reasons. First and foremost, especially to me, is that there is a sense that history is in the making. We are seeing events as they happen, live footage of what is going on in the streets of Tehran and the other cities (well it seems like mostly the capital at this time due to the media clamp down). Second, i think many of us are drawn to the core of humanity that is on display. The people there are finally saying enough is enough, and that they want a change for the better. And while many people on both sides of the hemisphere may not understand each other all that well at times, what we do understand is the genuine cry for freedom.
So while I do agree with the Obama administration taking their current approach (Iran has already tried to blame the US and the west), I think we the people should support our fellow humans on the other side of the world for their fight for the freedoms that we here take for granted. The atrocities being committed by the Iranian regime on it’s own people are not Islam, rather it is fascism, and at it’s worst. It’s just like the KKK stating they are doing things in the name of the Lord, which begs the question, who is their Lord, Satan?
I think solidarity with the people of Iran is very important at this time and they need our support. I remember after 9/11, Tehran had a candle light vigil for the many people who died on that fateful day. They were praying not just for the dead, but also for the people of the US. I think it’s only right that we should return the favor.
Now to try and figure out how to make my page green, lol.
This is an amazing conversation and as I write this, I am still formulating my thoughts on this topic. Before reading this post and its comments, I was pretty much in the same boat as Wayne. I thought, how does my changing my twitter avatar do anything to help the situation?
It’s not a matter of showing a support for this issue and not for others. That reality, that we care more about some issues, possibly because they get more publicity, is extremely unfortunate. To say that’s a reason to refuse support is ridiculous though. Helping to solve one cause over another is certainly better than doing nothing at all.
When it comes down to it, Danny’s got it right…there are a number of ways that you can help. Changing your avatar does help. You are contributing to a level of support for Iran and that absolutely empowers them. Ultimately, it’s up to them to fight through these tough times, and knowing they have the support of those outside of their country will give them that much more courage and confidence. So while it may not be helping directly, it is certainly serving a valuable contribution. To say that you don’t have to change it just because others are doing it is the equivalent of not voting because you’re just one small vote.
Then there are a number of ways to help a little more directly. Danny already named a few. Signing petitions is one example and there are many others I’m sure.
Will I green my avatar? I’m thinking yes. Is it jumping on a bandwagon? Giving in to a viral social trend? Does it matter? If there were 1million people drowning in front of me and everyone around me went to help them, should I not help them as well just because everyone else is doing it?
Thanks for helping me think it through (=
While many great points have been made about forms of support, the main reason my Twitter avatar is green is to raise awareness. At the beginning of this week, nobody was talking about Iran. Not even CNN covered what was happening in Iran. Those of us weighing in on this post obviously spend some time (I’m willing to bet a lot of time) with social media. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many people I know. And many of the people I know just trying to build an online presence are not connected enough to run by buried Iranian election results (they simply aren’t following the right accounts and blogs for such).
At the beginning of this week, I changed my avatar to green because I wanted people to know I had been reading as much information as I could find flowing out of Iran and that they could ask me what was going on. I think the entire situation is intriguing, empowering, and internationally significant and I want to share it with others.
So, not only is my picture green in support of Iranians, but my picture is green so that people will ask me about it and I can create a conversation to raise awareness. Green or not, I’d love to talk to you about it because it is unbelievably interesting.
I frequently see people wear yellow silicone bracelets to support cancer research. I remember, not too long ago, people wore many rubber bracelets for different causes: red for AIDS, orange for multiple sclerosis, brown for anti-smoking, multi-colored for gay pride.
One needn’t wear a bracelet to indicate support. And many friends wore them, then stopped, then wore them, then stopped. I figure the same will happen with the green for Iran twitter picture.