Iran Online.

February 22, 2002 10:20 AM

Iran Online. Can the opening of a countires 'cyber-borders' contribute to the liberalisation (small 'l') of the society? Iran has a rapidly increasing population, as well as a rapidly increasing online percentage, they have sports sites (they seem to like soccer), portals and the 'IranMania' search engine. Can un-censored access to the internet help build tolerance?
posted by asok (5 comments total)

a previous thread which mentioned the closing of iranian 'coffenets' became godwined early on.
posted by asok at 10:25 AM on February 22, 2002

The big issue is whether the net is filtered to keep out what the govt wants kept out, as in China and other countries.
posted by Postroad at 11:14 AM on February 22, 2002

this earlier link suggests that liberalisation is not necessarily a result of internet access. while online, i have seen some examples of how this kind of open communication can help encourage more contact between the west and iran, it goes without saying that the internet is a tool like any other, and can be used as such for organizations to reach their ends. no?
posted by elsar at 11:23 AM on February 22, 2002

asok:Can the opening of a countires 'cyber-borders' contribute to the liberalisation (small 'l') of the society
Postroad:The big issue is whether the net is filtered to keep out what the govt wants kept out

I don't think it matters so much if the Govt. does not allow access to certain sites. Because the primary role of the internet is "community". Helps young people discover other like-minded young people. This plays an especially important role in socially conservative societies, where it is hard for the youth to interact as freely.
If the seeds of liberalisation are already there, then opening the channels of communication can help a lot. I have been closely following the influx of the internet in India. And while its important that Indians now are better connected with the world (including the west), its more crucial that Indians can connect with one another. For example: for gays and lesbians in India, the net has been a boon. And now gay groups are becoming more active in the offline world as well.

I guess the jist of my argument is that seeds of liberalisation already have to be there for internet to have impact, and it is "contact within" rather than "contact outside" that is crucial.
posted by rsinha at 12:07 PM on February 22, 2002

I concur with the general sentiments expressed here. There will always be the trolls who're looking to raise hackles and muck up the dialogue---but for the most part, increased exposure between us will create a greater compassion for co-existence.
posted by Tiger_Lily at 1:33 PM on February 22, 2002