June 17, 2009
Young Iranians use mobile phones to video events
With traditional forms of communication blocked, Iranians are using technology to keep the world informed about events. The BBC reports.
Middle East political and security analyst James Spencer told the BBC: "As foreign correspondents find their work restricted and their visas curtailed, the ubiquity of the mobile phone... is coming to the fore.
The ability to send graphic, near live-time footage, often then uploaded to YouTube elsewhere, is an incredibly powerful tool.
"This raw imagery has little need for translation or editing, and often under-cuts the State's message, both in content, and by pre-emption."
He added that tags like "IranElection" on the social networking site Twitter have attracted huge numbers of "followers".
These tweets often reference a YouTube clip or a URL, thus further increasing the audience, he said.
A YouTube spokesperson said there had been an increase in activity for all types of videos related to the Iranian election.
Related: - Iran Protests: Tech Tools at Work
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