Does Twitter Work For The U.S. Government?
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Does Twitter work for the U.S. Government or is the social networking service merely allowing the people of Iran to speak freely? This is one of the questions that are being asked now that the Republicans are saying that the U.S. should do something about Iran. Or is the U.S. already meddling enough in the affairs of the Iranians?
This and other questions are being asked around the Internet as the protests in Iran continue. According to some articles it appears that the U.S. State Department may have asked Twitter to delay their scheduled maintenance while the protests in Iran were continuing. Though I agree that Twitter and Facebook should be used to communicate to the world problems that exist in other countries, how far should America go in providing this means of communication?
I believe that America should back off interfering in the politics of other countries. By allowing Twitter to continuing allowing protesters to communicate, it could appear that America is against the current Iran regime. In a situation that is already tense between our two countries is this the best course of action? Should be be viewed as assisting descent in other countries? How would we feel if the shoe were on the other foot?
What do you think the U.S. should be doing? Backing the protesters or the current regime?
Let us know your thoughts.
9 Comments
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June 19th, 2009
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fjuf
June 19th, 2009
at 6:39am
certainly we dont wanna refuse or deny them service thatd be cruel. america is not the only twitter user and twitter is a business not a government branch. the us needs to get their own shit together before trying to go out to save a country that has been sending out war ships as we speak. we dont want russia on our tail nor iran. someone else should maybe intervene this once…
Ryan S
June 19th, 2009
at 8:25am
I agree wholeheartedly with OP. This is an internal affair and the US’s mixing in is only giving the current regime more reasons not to trust the US government, or at the very least, it’s giving them easy rhetoric to put off cooperation with the US government. How would we have felt, if say, violent protests in the streets had erupted against Bush when he was reelected, and the European governments encouraged it?
Connor Bryant
June 20th, 2009
at 5:59pm
twitter working for the gov’t sounds a bit extreme to me.
Glenn Roberson
June 28th, 2009
at 2:50am
I agree, CB. Exactly how is Twitter working for the Government? Are they “encouraging” the Iranian people to post comments that aren’t true? Are they encouraging the Iranian people to stage the photos that show violence in the streets?
If the State Department asked Twitter to delay their maintenance schedule (it was delayed a few hours so as to conform to Iran’s early morning hours) so that Iranians could express their views and relay information, so what? That’s a far cry from the insinuation that Twitter is a U.S. Government-controlled organization that is instigating violence and revolution.
I think it much more likely that, upon receiving the Government’s request, Twitter decided that it could delay it’s maintenance schedule to enable Iranians to express their views and relay information, especially to those concerned about the welfare of their friends and family still in Iran. Yes, and to let the rest of the world know what was going on in Iran.
Gary Bing
November 23rd, 2009
at 4:16pm
It is a known fact that some of our men in Iraq were saved by twitter before the majority of us even heard of it. So,yes this being a good thing after all. I don’t deal with the twitter twits out there as I have more important things to do than read about someones errant bowl movement and other such drivel and trivial matters.