Social Media = Social Revolution?

(Social protest turns riot in Moldova, creative use license, Thanks to The New York Times)

-The Twitter twisting is endless-

It has been asked, "Can the Internet bring social revolution to nations?" Is it possible that China will find it so difficult to control social forums synonymous with the Internet that a move toward democratic ideals might result?

An article in The New York Times brought me to ask a similar question of Moldova. As The New York Times article by Ellen Barry discussed the generation gap present in Moldova, it became apparent to me that there is something of a digital divide resulting from this gap. Because most policy makers, parents and grandparents have minimal presence online, they were unaware of the dissention brewing among their young adults and twenty somethings.

Young people were able to coordinate an entire protest via e-mail, cell phones, and yes... Twitter. Head counts of the protesting group vary from 600 to 1,500. Any way it's counted, Twitter was credited with providing the platform on which the protest stood.

Given that Twitter uses hashtags (that can be anything users chose) for networking, it can be difficult to pick out a social movement like the one in Moldova. Twitter's functions are starting to feel endless as professionals and the public alike twist twitter to their do their bidding.

It seems yet another possibility has dawned on the Twitter horizon. Grassroots campaigns will be using Twitter in the wink of an eye. With places like Portland, Ore., developing a Twisitor Center, call lists and sidewalk bombardment may become obsolete as the Twitter twisting has only begun.