Iranian Election - Social Media Analysis (presentation)

SOCIAL MEDIA & #IRANELECTION Analysis of the Social Media Response Iranian Election June 2009

DIGITAL

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BACKGROUNDER •  Key Players: Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi •  Situation:

Ahmadinejad claimed victory in presidential elections with more than two-thirds of the votes. However, Mousavi and other reformists claimed major voting irregularities occurred. Peaceful, then eventually violent protests occurred when hundreds of thousands Iranians took to the streets of Tehran.

•  Media:

Due to the heavy censorship of mainstream media, citizen journalists relied on social media, such as Twitter and YouTube, to communicate the situation to both Iranians and the outside world in real time. Timeframe (for this analysis)

June 13-June 29, 2009 2

MILESTONE TIMELINE •  June 13

Ahmadinejad wins the presidential election

•  June 14

Mousavi askes Iran's Guardian Council to cancel the election result

•  June 15

At least seven people are killed on the fringes of a large march by Mousavi supporters in central Tehran

•  June 16

Authorities ban foreign journalists from leaving their offices to cover street protests

•  June 17

Thousands of Iranians march in quiet defiance in central Tehran

•  June 19

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini speaks at religious services, upholding the legitimacy of the election and denouncing the protesters. Protests continue but on a diminished scale

•  June 20

Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman observing the protests, is shot by the militia and died in front of cameras- her image becomes the face of the protests

•  June 29

Guardian Council certifies the results of the election 3

SOCIAL MEDIA

“That a new information technology could be improvised for this purpose so swiftly is a sign of the times. It reveals in Iran what the Obama campaign revealed in the United States. You cannot stop people any longer. You cannot control them any longer. They can bypass your established media; they can broadcast to one another; they can organize as never before.” - Andrew Sullivan

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CONTENT SUMMARY Overview

utilized for second by second updates on events in Iran and a communication network inside Iran broadcast videos of major events unfolding in Iran in the days after the elections supplied up to the minute information educating the world about the aftermath of the Iranian elections displayed thousands of images from inside Iran capturing the riots, protests and violence for worldwide viewers 6

TWITTER

Facts

•  Twitter emerged as one of the leading sources for real-time information in the day after the Iran elections •  Twitter was used primarily in two ways –  To disseminate information about what was happening on the ground –  To communicate between Iranian protestors about events, meetups and election related news •  The conversation on Twitter primarily took place around the hashtags #iranelection and #gr88 •  #CNNFail Twitter users criticized large news outlets, primarily CNN, early-on on for not adequately providing complementary coverage of the situation.

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THE BUZZ

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TWITTER Initial Figures Twitter by the Numbers •  At the peak, there were more than 200,000 tweets in one hour mentioning “Iran” •  Frequently, 10,000 to 50,000 tweets including the term “#iranelection” occurred each hour •  Nearly 1%of all conversations on Twitter in the days following the elections included mentions of the conflict in Iran •  During many cycles, Twitter conversations about Iran exceeded those about the iPhone launch in the same time period

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TWITTER Final Figures Twitter by Numbers •  More than two weeks after the election, #iranelection and “Iran” continued to be trending topics on Twitter •  The conversations peak with any major developments, such as Neda or student arrests •  The conversation lifecycle days and weeks following the event represent sustained, heavy coverage

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YOUTUBE Facts •  YouTube served as the primary distribution channel for video on Iranian events after Ahmadinejad claimed victory •  The site allowed citizen journalists to upload mostly unfiltered content to the site to be viewed by its millions of followers •  Although the site appeared to be blocked in Iran, videos still surfaced that captured the chaos and violence at the protests •  The videos generated millions of views worldwide even as Iranian traffic was diminished by almost 90% in the weeks after the election •  The most infamous video was taken of Neda Agha Soltan as she died from a gunshot wound to the chest at one of the protests •  Top search terms for finding relevant videos were “Iran riots” ; “Iran protests” ; “Iran election 2009” •  Top channels for viewing related videos was “Irandoost09” and “IranianNews”. 11

YOUTUBE Figures YouTube by Numbers •  As of June 30, 2009,193,000 videos related to Iran on YouTube •  On this day alone, there were more than 3,000 videos uploaded in a 24 hour period. •  The most popular video about the Iranian elections and aftermath has had has more than nearly 400,000 views one week since it’s posting •  This video is also the number one most viewed video in YouTube’s News & Politics the week it was posted 12

BLOGS Facts •  During the post election protests, blogs provided information primarily in two ways: –  Live blogging by credible sources aggregated the news on Iran in one, easy to access location with content streams longer than the 140 character limit bound to by Twitter –  Blogs allowed sources from inside Iran to post what was happening on the ground, in close to real time •  Revolutionary Road was touted (by Mashable) as being the top blog from inside Iran. •  The top non native sources for live blogging about Iran, Nico Pitney’s work at the Huffington Post and Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Dish. •  Blogs also accounted for the distillation of links and word of mouth content across the online space, allowing for authentic and spontaneous discussion around the politics of the election 13

BLOGS Figures Blogs by Numbers •  More than 21 million blog posts related to Iran are were listed on Google BlogSearch in the days following the election •  Early in the aftermath, blog mentions of Iran far out numbered traditional news stories, according to Google searches •  In a staggering figure, nearly 12% of blog post the first week after the election related to Iran

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FLICKR Facts

Images from inside Iran told the true story.

•  Flickr was the most popular site for hosting these images for audiences beyond Iran •  Digital photos heightened the reality of the citizen journalist and were uploaded and viewed at a staggering rate •  Search terms for finding these photos are “Iran Elections” and “Iran Riots 2009” •  The term Iran Election garners more than 11,000 photographic hits on Flickr

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IMPLICATIONS

THE BIG PICTURE Implications

What the Iranian election reaffirms about social media The absence of censorship allows for incredible ease of use The social media tool box allows for ordinary citizens to create their own content, share that content with world and remain virtually anonymous while doing so. Circumventing traditional news sources also means circumventing state sponsored media and foreign media restrictions.

The timeliness of access Ease of production and unfiltered content makes sharing information both nearly instant and seamless. These characteristics not only make news more relevant but also make connecting on the ground easier when traditional communication channels are disrupted.

The fragmentation of interests Niche interests find their way into social media conversations. Without a gatekeeper or expensive barriers to content sharing, social media makes the news more personal. Readers and viewers can choose content that fits their interests, such as women’s rights or educational norms, within the larger story. 17

THE BIG PICTURE Implications

What does this mean for traditional news media? Collaboration: “The combination amounts to the biggest embrace yet of a collaborative new style of news gathering one that combines the contributions of ordinary citizens with the reports and analysis of journalists.” – from the New York Times

Accountability: #CNNFail demonstrates that social media harness increasing power to keep major news organizations accountable. Previous journalism models emphasized the power of the editor as the primary gatekeeper. The news agenda, however, is no longer dictated by editorial staff and is increasingly defined by the public. News orgs face an incredible, but necessary ,pressure to align media coverage with public interest

Timeliness v. Accuracy Social media heightens the urgency of the continuous news cycle, which creates a challenge for trusted news sources to balance timely news coverage with accurate, trusted reporting and analysis. 18

THE BIG PICTURE Implications

What does this mean for PR?

Relevance: In the very least, the social media storm following Iran’s elections demonstrates the strengths of social media in a crisis: speed, unfiltered content, community engagement and widespread dissemination. The Iran crisis has further emphasized the relevance of social media. Audiences are utilizing these tools to gather and disseminate information and to ultimately build a movement.

Proficiency The relevance of social media makes it increasingly important that PR pros demonstrate digital proficiency. Iran reveals, in a way that only a crisis can, that social media is a communications strategy not merely a tactic. Harnessing the power of a viral community to galvanize public opinion and produce results is essential to the future of PR.

Engagement “In handling global issues where public opinion is formed as quickly as a Facebook group, communicators must immerse themselves in these techniques and strategies, and use them not just as a defensive position against protesters, but as a part of their offensive strategy. “ – from PRWeek 19