Jose Antonio Vargas: Tiananmen + Web = Tehran

Washington Post:

In the past week or so, a meme has circulated on the Web: "Tiananmen + Twitter = Tehran." But it's not just about the so-called "Twitter Revolution." That's a nifty catch-phrase -- the YouTube election, the Facebook effect, etc. -- for many in the mainstream media who are still trying to understand how people live their lives in this social networking age. In this world, a tweet from Canada leads to a Facebook fan page created in the United States, which then leads to a YouTube video from Iran. But these platforms are merely tools that allow people to connect over ideas. A more accurate equation, said Ho, who teaches information technology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), is "Tiananmen + Web = Tehran."

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[Katzencats]

Although this isn't what was originally planned, The Information Superhighway has indeed come to fruition. Anyone with internet access can see how others live, put their own information "out there", learn anything they want. It has been used in recent years to get unfiltered (and also heavily skewed) information out to US voters, now it is being used as the link to the outside world by the Iranian people.

Yes, one can only wonder if the outcome would have been different 20 years ago in China, if Internet service had been generally available. I am glad it is available now & thankful for sites like HuffPo getting the information to the rest of the world.