How exactly is this making a difference?

I have the same question. Information arrives like a flood and we cannot verify most of it. Info or Intox? as we would say in French. At the same time, something terrible is obviously happening and we cannot just watch, again. If real people are calling for help, what do they really expect us to do without judging or lecturing anybody or sending the troops (busy somewhere else!)?

hi chris

i'm not sure either – but here's part of what i posted about it this morning

“If nothing else, when we see the green avatars, our thoughts return to the situation. I have to believe that all of that psychic energy, in the long run, will help. It certainly can't hurt.”

full blog post is at http://noebie.com/blog/2009/06/16.html

I find it amazing that people think that thousands of expressions of support have no impact. These same people will then spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on considering how they should advertise toothpaste.
Have I forgotten this image 40 years later?
http://digitalrhetor.files.wordpress.com/2009/0…

Have I forgotten this image 20 years later?
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341bf…

Will I forget this one 20 years from now?
Not if I still have my life or my memory.
http://threatswatch.org/rapidrecon/2009/06/iran…

Utility of changing avatar to green I guess is that it can remind people to think about what is going on. Im kinda “meh” about that. Do it dont do it, whatever. In my mind the effect either way is small.

What I find much more interesting is the actual utility of Twitter at spreading real information about what is going on. There is an insane amount of info flowing “out” at the moment but it is really hard if not impossible to verify any of it, and at the same time you can clearly see lots of misinformation/conjecture/heresy proliferating.

The power of these social network information lines is obvious, I just still have some serious questions about it's utility in crisis situations in terms of really getting any kind of a clear picture. I liken it to trying to get a glass of water from a fire hose or charge my cell phone off a raw powerline.

Often the intangible makes a difference. The intangible becomes temporarily tangible through symbols. Show me how love, faith, liberty or other intangibles ever exactly make a difference, yet we know they do.

Attention. Interest. Desire. Action. Perhaps the intangibles are just the top of the funnel for change. We can’t always define what seemingly passive and insignificant actions will make a difference and which ones won’t, but that doesn’t mean you stop.

I'm not sure if I'm making a difference at all. I don't think that any harm will come with engaging in a dialogue though. I think this is currently the only means that some people have to express their opinions.

Tangible difference? Doubtful.

But I'm going to do it anyway.

From Facebook group -> “Telling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad he's full of crap”

“Check this out — Twitterers across the Tweetosphere are changing their location to “Tehran.” Why? Because it makes it waaaaaay harder for Iranian censors to locate the ones who actually ARE in Tehran! Check out the article for more details, and if you like it, consider changing your own Twitter location to Tehran as well. Very clever stuff.”

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=96138…

Not agreeing or not – just reporting…

hi chris

i'm not sure either – but here's part of what i posted about it this morning

“If nothing else, when we see the green avatars, our thoughts return to the situation. I have to believe that all of that psychic energy, in the long run, will help. It certainly can't hurt.”

full blog post is at http://noebie.com/blog/2009/06/16.html

Utility of changing avatar to green I guess is that it can remind people to think about what is going on. Im kinda “meh” about that. Do it dont do it, whatever. In my mind the effect either way is small.

What I find much more interesting is the actual utility of Twitter at spreading real information about what is going on. There is an insane amount of info flowing “out” at the moment but it is really hard if not impossible to verify any of it, and at the same time you can clearly see lots of misinformation/conjecture/heresy proliferating.

The power of these social network information lines is obvious, I just still have some serious questions about it's utility in crisis situations in terms of really getting any kind of a clear picture. I liken it to trying to get a glass of water from a fire hose or charge my cell phone off a raw powerline.

I'm not sure if I'm making a difference at all. I don't think that any harm will come with engaging in a dialogue though. I think this is currently the only means that some people have to express their opinions.

I'd argue that it doesn't have to do much, if anything at all. It's like the rubber wristbands that everyone wears for one cause or another. Sure, there is probably a donation that goes to a cause somewhere, but that's the first 5 minutes. The rest of the time it's just more about awareness than anything.

From Facebook group -> “Telling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad he's full of crap”

“Check this out — Twitterers across the Tweetosphere are changing their location to “Tehran.” Why? Because it makes it waaaaaay harder for Iranian censors to locate the ones who actually ARE in Tehran! Check out the article for more details, and if you like it, consider changing your own Twitter location to Tehran as well. Very clever stuff.”

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=96138…

Not agreeing or not – just reporting…

They are asking for our support, and Twitter is what they are using to tell us what's going on. By making these small changes they can see they have support–we care what's happening over there. I would think psychologically it is important for them to know that, even if it's not tangible.

It is helping to conceal locals from the police there, and it is a small gesture that ppl can do to show support, kinda like asking why ppl put yellow ribbons magnets on their cars, doesn't DO/help in anyway, but is a show of support.
-Twitter/freemindconsult

I think it's about awareness, like wearing ribbons or rubber-band bracelets for various causes. Awareness opens opportunity for tangible actions.

I think it's about awareness, like wearing ribbons or rubber-band bracelets for various causes. Awareness opens opportunity for tangible actions.

Awareness abt freedom, awareness abt sustainability, awareness abt Humanity! Jeremy, could you tweet that? I would RT you in a heart beat!