Note: 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.

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