Twitter Usage Patterns: A Different one from Iran

Trying to keep up with #iranelection on Twitter, is like trying to drink from a firehose. Twitter,  Facebook, twitpics, flickr and youtube have become the new citizen media to get information from a region that is not easily accessible to the main stream media.

Notice  the way Twitter is used to share knowledge on  how to handle various situations. Here are just a few sample snippets.

  • … show a newspaper from today in films & pictures to verify the date VERY IMPORTANT FOR CNN etc.
  • Break all the Security cameras in streets as police are using those to monitor movements
  • Those who know how to survive without electricity, food, meds, etc.. Pls. Tweet anything you know with #Survival
  • Remove house numbers and street signs so Basij cant find people they’re looking for. Worked in Czech
    run wire across streets to knock basij off motorcycles

Each one of these tell you lot more than what the basic message itself conveys. One of the most re-tweeted entries was the invitation to take the wounded to European embassies for treatment.

Twitter is a simple tool. The true genius of Twitter is the way people figure out how to use it.

People in Iran are not only turning a new page in their nations chapter, but also inventing new applications of one of the most fascinating internet technologies.