Bloggers Unite for Human Rights: Tweeting Myanmar
By Leslie Poston
With so many tragedies, natural disasters, coups, genocidal regimes and political issues to choose from all around the world, how do you choose just one to write about for Bloggers Unite for Human Rights? For me, the choice was easy. I am avid Twitter user, and the attention brought to bear on the tragedy in Myanmar (Burma) this week through the simple use of Twitter has been awe inspiring and astounding.
I make no secret of the fact that I get 90% of my news from Twitter these days. Often one of my tweeps (Twitter friends) from around the world will tweet (post) about a tragedy or current event long before the major news outlets do (Reuters even wrote about the Twitter breaking news phenomenon recently). I heard about the earthquake in China this week hours before I saw it on CNN, and I heard about Myanmar whole days before a major news outlet picked it up from my Twitter friend @Pistachio, soon to be followed by hundreds of tweets around the world as the internet passed along news of the disaster.
Bloggers were immediately up in arms about the lack of aid to the people of Myanmar, and what started as simple storm of news on Twitter in bursts of 140 characters or less soon turned into a regular blog crusade. Calling the government of Myanmar on the carpet for keeping 70% of the aid being sent for themselves in a vast and ugly political power play, finding ways around normal channels to get supplies and donations out (like Doctors Without Borders and other organizations working under the radar), and just spreading awareness… the social web was on fire for a cause.
Is the Twitter storm and blog crusade helping the people of Myanmar? According to The Irrawaddy, yes, to some extent. There are still major issues in getting around the corrupt government, and much like Darfur, awareness will need to be kept up in the future as the bell curve of this tragedy will be long and steep. Meanwhile, China faces its own disaster in a 7.8 earthquake, and the humanitarian people of the internet are broadcasting that far and wide to generate aid as well. Meanwhile, Twitter still keeps vigil over the people of Myanmar, and bloggers continue to document ways to help and keep the laser beam of the web focused on this country far around the world. Bloggers Unite, indeed.
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May 15th, 2008
If ever there was a reason to militarily go into a country for the purpose of aiding the people it is this situation. We tried to say that is what Iraq was about. I wonder if Burma had oil would we be there now?