Social Media is the new AK47

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Social Media is the new AK47

Thomas Tudehope

Background

SR7 – reputation and risk management

Press Secretary for Malcolm Turnbull

US Elections

Sky News

Not a GEEK



Today

What is social media

How is changing how we communicate

What does it mean for democracy here and abroad

Where to next?


What is social media?

“Social Media Networking” is based on web 2.0 functionality; however, simply using web 2.0 functionality is not sufficient to develop social media networking

Social Media is composed of several web platforms that allow you to communicate instead of only informing

Networking is a verb and therefore implies action

It is personal and better used to tell stories, create dialogue and partnerships


What are social media platforms?

Why social media?

Ten most popular sites on the web: 1. Facebook

2. YouTube

3. Google

4. GMAIL

5. Hotmail

6. Twitter

7. Tumbler

8. Yahoo

9. Skype

10. MSN


Facebook… some statistics

500 million users worldwide. 10 million in Australia.

88% of people know about Facebook.

40% of users follow a brand.

40% login everyday.

Valued at $50 billion.


Twitter… some statistics

25% of users follow a brand.

67% of brand followers purchase that brand.

37% login via mobile.

53% of users post an update every day.

2 million Australian users.



SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTIONS?


“The power of social media: synchronize the behavior of groups quickly, cheaply and publicly in ways unavailable

a decade ago”.


Middle East and North AfricaPopulation:

400 million.

Democracy Index: Democracies – 1 Hybrid regimes – 3 Authoritarian regimes- 16


The Baghdad Blogger

Salam Pax.

Blogged through the 2003 Iraq war.

Innovative use of social media in a confined environment.

"Anyway, all that doesn’t matter now. Saddam is gone, thanks to you. Was it worth it? Be assured it was. We all know that it got to a point where we would have never been rid of Saddam without foreign intervention; I just wish it would have been a bit better planned."


EGYPT


Ready for change?

85 million Egyptians

21 million internet subscriptions

With an average consumption of 900 minutes per month

4.5 million Facebook users

26, 000 Twitter users.

Long standing leader – Mubarak


Egypt’s State Media


What really happened in Egypt?


Khaled Said Trigger point.

Facebook group – we are all Khaled Said – 87, 000 members.

Put a face to a cause.


January 24

Khaled Said group promoted a protest event.

Google Maps was used to show meeting points.

Shared Google documents showed logistical requirements.


How do you respond to an uprising?


Speak to Tweet

In response and driven from the international community Speak to Tweet was born.

Allowed users to call a number and leave a message that was automatically posted to Twitter.


Alive in Egypt

First advertised on February 2.

Collected tweets from speak to tweet.

Volunteers collated the data using Google Maps and Skype.


Twitter – before, during and after

Egyptians were tweeting well before the protests began.

As protests took hold Twitter peaked with a flurry of vital information Where were police? Directions? How many?


Where were people communicating?


Where was the traffic coming from?


Social Media Organised Protests

Well before the internet shutdown social media was used to organise protests in Egypt.

Without these mass organising tools there would have been fewer people on the ground.


Social Media Shaped the Narrative

In situations of chaos, the side who can quickly shape the narrative that sticks will have the upper hand.

Chaos v Revolt.


Social Media Pressured Washington

Washington was stuck between a rock and hard place.

Flood of social media activity would have helped shaped their thinking.

Social media showed a truer picture of what was happening.


IRAN


Background

Islamic Republic of Iran

Population of 65 million.

Mass media state controlled.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005.

Real power lies with ‘spiritual guardians’.


Elections Held on June 12,

2009

Four candidates including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Moussavi (reformer).

Both candidates claimed victory after first polls.


Election Results

Directly after the polls closed online sources begin to hint a possible fraud in voting process.

Suggestion of fraud led to some protests in Tehran.

Received little media attention.


June 13 and 14 protests

Mainstream media blamed for poor coverage.

Al Jazeera English claims Iranian leadership censoring information.

NBC in Tehran raided.

BBC signal jammed.


June 14 and 15

Rumors of Mousavi’s arrest flood the web.

Supreme Ayatollah issues slight recount of votes.

Iranian football team wear green armbands.

US government asks Twitter to postpone downtime.


June 19 and 21

Violence escalates.

Social media becomes the primary means for communication for citizens.

Death of NedaSoltani Basij becomes rallying point for anti-government protestors.

State television reports only 10 people killed.


Social Media takes off

At its peak 221,000 an hour at its peak.

2.2 million blog posts in 24 hours.

184, 500 videos on YouTube.


What role did Social Media play in Iran

Organisation Through Facebook

and Twitter for physical action.

Participation Correcting the

record. #CNNFAIL

Communication With each other and

the outside world.


The revolution spreads


What can we learn from Egypt et al

We are now living in a new media paradigm.

Media ‘entities’ no longer have a monopoly on the news.

Citizen journalism.

Beginning of the beginning.


Stay local, go global

The mobile phone now connects local activists to a global audience – photo now, CNN next.

Solidarity.

Exposure


Media as we know it…

Social media has drastically changed how conventional media works.

Trust and reliability

Speed and accuracy

Choice


Osama Bin Laden

News first broke on social media.

Was sourced, verified and authenticated before any government figure said a word.

Who breaks news now?


What does this all mean for Israel?

Change can happen in the Middle East.

In a social media paradigm it will be rapid and far reaching.

The oppressed now have a voice.


Is Social Media Social Change

Malcolm Gladwell argued that social media cannot provide what social change needs.

Connections are weak and built around a media cycle.


QUESTIONS…

Social Media is the new AK47

News & Politics

Transcript of Social Media is the new AK47