Tweeting a punch

Though the year of Twitter was first suggested in 2009,and wishfully credited with bringing democracy to Iran,may we suggest 2011 as the one when India learned the power of 140 characters? This was the year we really assimilated Twitter into our lives,instead of falling about in shock every time a public figure said something off-the-cuff. The year we learned to turn to Twitters rolling sea of links and comments before TV and the papers. We organised through it,and we amused ourselves with it. We learned to expect the bon mots,the bile,the attacks and defences. At times,Twitter seemed almost like our untrammelled id.

Whether it was the Jan Lokpal movement,the Arab Spring,Occupy Wall Street,Twitter has obviously amped up politics. Its now a vital new part of how we mobilise. But theres nothing inherently subversive about it its a neutral platform that can foment anarchy as much as it can be used to pacify or spy on citizens. In India,the government may still fall back on the censorship sledgehammer,but many sophisticated and authoritarian regimes actively work with social media to advance their own agenda. Twitter adds wheels to any process but its the wider political context that matters.

And in India,Twitter remains the echo chamber of a relatively well-off minority. Twitter speaks for a partial public,whose concerns have disproportionate space in our mainstream discourse. This year,we have also learnt the folly of thinking that Twitter speaks directly for the public. That real revolutions still require you to show face,to take physical risks,and forge authentic solidarities. Its one thing to fire off angry one-liners,and another to actually rally for a cause.