The First President to Enter the Blogsphere is the Head of What Country? Iran?
August 24, 2006
Whether funding the Hezbollah in their battle against Israel, or pushing nuclear technology in defiance of the UN, Iran is a premiere topic of current discussion. Everyone has their eye on the Middle East, and what will happen there in the future months is anyone’s guess. Despite all the uncertainty, one thing is clear; any lasting change in the region must involve Iran. They refuse to be ignored.
The most famous and vociferous face behind this message is Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Fresh from his 60 Minutes interview two weeks ago, President Ahmadinejad recently became the first head of state to launch his own web log. Posts on the blog so far have been mostly biographical and contained surprisingly limited political commentary. Although the purpose of the blog is not entirely clear, its target audience is unmistakable. A recent Newsweek article comments on the main readership of the blog, Iran’s youth. The article points out his rationale for using a blog format to reach those who tend to "ignore him through other media like TV or newspapers".
If Ahmadinejad wants to bolster his image amongst the youth of Iran and create a more open form of communication, a blog offers the perfect tool. However, communicating with this group in this particular forum will require a new strategy in Iran. State controlled media has become the accepted way of life for citizens, and the emergence of the internet seems to be changing this paradigm. Iran is well plugged into the Web and the government’s fight to control and censor internet use appears a losing battle.
A blog is an effective way to speak directly to the youngest generation of Iranian citizens, and it will be interesting to watch what compromises the country makes to keep the internet savvy youth engaged, while simultaneously maintaining state control of the media. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a change agent that the world cannot afford to ignore. We look forward to following the progress of his blog in the months to come.
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