az_riotpoliceNote: I discuss the recent Iranian election in this post, but please keep in mind that I am not in Iran, nor do I have sources in Iran and I am not reporting on Iran. I am only discussing something I feel has played an important role in Iran’s current events. While I write this, I assume you’re reading with working knowledge of what’s happening there. If you don’t, please educate yourself. History is being made right now.

While I’m not the most vocal activist around on the subject, I’ve always been a supporter of the power of the Internet. That’s a very weird phrase, “the power of the Internet,” so I’ll try to elaborate: I very strongly hold the opinion that the Internet is a tool that has the power to change the world in a very real, tangible way. The Internet is a tool that allows humanity to connect on a personal level, no matter where in the world you live. It gives people the resources they need to learn anything they want to learn, and raises their chances to succeed in life. With the Internet, your only limits in life are the ones you create for yourself.

More and more, we’re seeing that come to fruition. We’re seeing it in action. Do you remember the worldwide Scientology protests from awhile back? While they’re still ongoing today in a smaller (but still very, very strong and admirable) capacity, they absolutely rocked the world when they first happened. Millions of people around the globe stood up one day, and protested against what they felt was something very, very wrong. Not hundreds and not thousands, but millions. While all involved had reasons to do it, the single underlying reason was because these people felt something was wrong in the world, and they wanted their voice heard. They wanted to fix the problem. The Internet gave these people the resources they needed to organize a global movement. It didn’t take years to organize, either. The movement started within weeks, if not days. Whatever your opinion on the protests, you absolutely cannot deny their significance.

What’s happening right now in Iran, and what’s been happening for the last few days, puts the internet’s strength on display in a far more visceral way. There are people fighting, literally and figuratively, for their freedoms, their beliefs, and their lives. They are being suppressed, beaten and murdered in the streets for wanting what most of us see as basic human freedoms. The Internet can’t take credit for the bravery of the Iranian people, but its role in what’s happening cannot be denied.

The Iranian government has been trying to hide and control what’s happening by throwing foreign media out of their country, scrambling satellite signals, and trying to lock down the Internet from the general populace. They do not want the current situation to be seen by the rest of the world.  This is where the Internet’s potential comes into play.

Despite what the media often displays and despite what some (many?) may believe, Humanity cares about each other. There are cultures that are bred to hate, yes, but on the whole? We care. Pain is universal. Sadness is universal. The hopes and dreams of freedom are universal. It is not until now that we’re given the means to express this to our fellow man, across boundaries of religion, nation and culture.

The Internet allows us to ignore segregation and see other people for who they are and not what we are told. More than that, it lets us help each other in a tangible way, no matter how far apart we may be. How have the Iranians managed to stay online, communicating with each other and the rest of the world? The rest of the world is actively helping them. From the other side of the world, we’re able to set up means of communication, feed them proxy information, and offer them anything else they might need to keep themselves from being silenced.

I forget now where I read it, but one of the active Iranian Twitters said something to the effect of, “I’ve learned something these last few days. Americans care.” It has nothing to do with America, though we do perhaps have a worse reputation for being ignorant snobs than the rest of the world. It has everything to do with humanity. Americans care, and so do Germans and Aussies and Russians and the Chinese and everyone else. There are horrible individuals in the world, yes, but on the whole? People care about other people, and it’s not until now that we’re able to communicate this to one another.

The Internet has the power to change the world for the better. We’ve seen this. We’ve participated in it. This why buzzwords like ‘web 2.0‘ and ‘social media’ have been used nonstop for the last couple of years. They’re steps toward realizing the potential of the Internet, and it’s not going to fade away in a year or two as all of the naysayers spout. You can’t turn back progress. Iran is showing us that right now.

That’s all I really have to say for the moment, but expect more out of me on the topic really soon, including resources for what you can do to help realize this potential.

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