The controversial Iranian election outcome has turned a social network portal into a news portal.
Social networks have changed the landscape of politics and economics in the 21st century. This is evidenced by the recent Iranian election outcome, which is evidenced by the world watching the Iranian events over the internet. Incidentally, this is Iran’s tenth election (Iran Daily, 2009). Moreover, the President of Iran is highest elected official elected by the people and the President of Iran has no control of the armed forces or foreign policy.
Those in academia describe a social network as an actual social structure which is generally comprised of individuals and organizations tied to one or more specific types of interdependency. An interdependency is characterized by a dynamic of “being mutually and physically responsible to and sharing a common set of principles with others (The Co-Intelligence Institute).” The goal of this unique dynamic is to correlate the “truth” of each position and somehow bring them together. In the case of the Iranian election outcome- the interdependencies comprised protesters and the international community vs. announced winner, Mahmoud Ahmandinejad.
You Tube has emerged as a leader into this political foray. Founded in 2005, YouTube is also the leader in online video. Sharing original videos worldwide through the web-solidified YouTube as a major player in social networking. In terms of the Iranian election, people around the world can see first-hand accounts of current events. Some may view this networking opportunity as empowerment. Which is why YouTube’s mission statement may require editing?
Even the U.S. Presidential election of Barrack Obama was featured on YouTube and Sequoia Capital initial investment has paid off. Google purchased YouTube in 2006 (YouTube) and incidentally, the number of partners have emerged. These unique partners have also joined the social networking arena as unique stakeholders. Academia seems to suggest that stakeholders that operate on many levels in the social network have many ties. This approach has brought some unwarranted attention to the field of conflict management. As unique stakeholders utilize their social capital in Iran to disclose their view of the truth on YouTube, the world watches.
References
The Co-Intelligence Institute. [Online]. Interdependnce. Retrieved from http://www.co-intelligence.org/interdependenceday.html on June 15, 2009.
“Ahmadinejad Wins Landslide”. Iran Daily. June 13, 2009. http://www.iran-daily.com/1388/3423/html/. Retrieved on June 13, 2009
YouTube. [Online]. Company History. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/t/about on June 15, 2009.