Using Social Media For Good: female students account of post Iranian election

September 23rd, 2011, In Must Share, Social Media, by Beverly Crandon

So often we blog about the uses of social media for business gain or brand betterment, but every once in a while, we do come across a story that shows the positive uses of social media, with the intention of bettering the lives of others.  This is the case with this story we found that speaks to how women in Iran are using social media to spread the word on the injustices and their personal experiences, post the election, brought on  by Iranian authorities.  Most of these women were either raped, or beaten and in some cases both, because they voted for Mir-Hossein Mousavi, in the June 2009 election.

It was only this year that a 28 minute video account of a young students horrifying experience had been published and syndicated using various social media outlets, and it continues to be shared with as much fervor today.  Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, gives recognition to social media for spreading the word:

Social media gave the young woman a voice, enabling her to speak out about her experience and encourage other women on the margins to follow her example

These are the sobering world going-on’s that cause me to think twice as I use Twitter and the likes to discuss the frivolous activities in my life that clearly show how well I have it, versus more than half of the rest of the world. The things we take for granted such as voting, freedom to be female and expressive for example, are real and shameful realities.

We’ve added the video clip here and hope that you too will use your social voice to cause awareness -

Iranian Woman’s Testimony of Rape and Torture from IntlCampforHRinIran on Vimeo.

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