Sunday, August 23, 2009

#Iranelection: Demise Of A Thread

It's about over for the thread #iranelection on Twitter. Once a staple of the Iranian opposition movement's supporters, and consistently one of the most popular trends on Twitter, it has, of late, degenerated into a hive of infighting, mistrust, and a simple lack of focus. It is dying off rapidly...and sadly. As the world's attention turns away from Iran, the thread has lost it's meaning and sense of direction. A majority of the people who continue to post regularly belong to a cadre of die-hard fundamentalist-type opponents of Ahmadinejad and the regime. They sit on Twitter trading historical quotes of inspiration and 'news from Iran' which is 99% rumor. They challenge all newcomers and prematurely denounce them as 'Spies for the regime' without any evidence. A few other tweets come from people or organizations looking to make a financial gain from the turmoil in Iran, such as the Haystack supporters. Haystack is a product alleged to provide uncensored internet access to people in Iran. I strongly doubt Haystack will ever live up to it's promise. There is no proof that it has, in any case. Nevertheless, Haystack supporters continuously ask for financial contributions on #iranelection. Where the money they receive goes, I have no idea. However, it's safe to say the money does not go towards making Haystack a reality. The remainder of the regular contributors to #Iranelection are the legitimate supporters of the regime and those lashing out for being labeled as 'government spies' and 'troublemakers.'
As the Sea of Green evaporates in Iran, it does the same on Twitter.