THE REVOLUTIONARY IMPACTS OF IT

ITM SLP: The Revolutionary Impacts of IT



ITM SLP: The Revolutionary Impacts of IT

Introduction

The June 2009 presidential election in Iran triggered unprecedented and impassioned involvement inside Iran. The four approved candidates, vetted from 476 applicants and permitted by the Guardian Council, were announced in mid-May and their colors were distributed. Rapidly, an historic campaign grew in support of Mir-Hussein Mousavi, who put forward a modest, reformist program. This included greater freedom of media and expression, gender equality prioritized by his wife and public campaigner, Zahra Rahnavardand a new approach to international affairs. The “Green” campaign was visible, with bandanas, posters and flags, large rallies, and support mobilized via the Internet. All candidates opened pages on Facebook (which had previously been banned), uploaded photos, and posted statements (Parsi & Paris, 2011).

Discussion and Analysis

The film of the tragic killing of Neda Agha Soltan, a young woman demonstrator whose death pictures condensed everything enraging world opinion, appeared on YouTube globally available in many different forms and accompanied by different musical scores. One was viewed by more than 500,000 people. The Green Wave was quick to respond to regime statements and propaganda. Ahmadinejad's comment that those upset at “losing” the election were all khas o khashak (dirt and dust), as though they had lost a football match, triggered an anthem that demonstrators sang that turned the jibe back on him. Several versions were made of the original poem by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi, from which Ahmedinejad had taken the phrase and uploaded to YouTube. Various Iranian singers, including the ever-popular Googoosh, Mohsein Namjoo, Abjeez, and others, recorded solidarity songs and dedicated them to demonstrators (Parsi & Paris, 2011).

Global musicians acted in solidarity. Joan Baez sang We Shall Overcome in Persian and Andy, a well-known Iranian pop star, recorded Stand ...