In light of the recent events in Iran, we want to share a story from an Iranian-American colleague about his experiences using Facebook and his perspective on how much has changed in the past decade.


I woke up Saturday morning to a surge of activity in my News Feed about the events unfolding in Iran. I had heard that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been re-elected, but I had no idea how the people of Iran were reacting to the outcome.

I soon realized the enormity of what was happening, and how dramatically the flow of information had changed in Iran, my country of ancestry. Through a constant stream of videos, photos, status updates and notes from my friends in Iran and around the world, I soon learned of the reaction to the election news. Thousands of Iranians were taking to the streets in demonstrations all over the country, and the people were disputing the results and demanding a new vote.

Four days later, I was marching with nearly 150 students and protesters at Stanford University in a protest that I learned about through my friends on Facebook. It was just one of the many ways that people around the world were showing solidarity and staying connected with the events in Iran, despite reports of a crackdown on media and Internet blocks.

I soon saw requests from Iranians on Facebook for us to share our pictures from these demonstrations worldwide. While facing great danger in their own country for protesting, Iranians wanted to see that they weren't alone and that the story of their struggle was reaching people everywhere.

This wasn't always the case. Almost 10 years ago, as an American college student of Iranian descent, I struggled to spread the message of my student counterparts in Iran. In July of 1999, student-led protests erupted for six days in response to the government closure of a reformist newspaper. They ended in violent arrests and even loss of life.

Like today, there were reports of information being restricted from coming in or out of Iran. Back then, even in countries with freedom of speech and press, information didn't spread without access to major media outlets. My friends went so far as to chase down a television crew to raise awareness about what was happening.

Those communication barriers are breaking down now, with the growth of the Internet and all of the new tools for creating content and instantly spreading information. As soon as my Iranian friends share an update about what's happening in their country, their friends are amplifying their voice by sharing it outside of the country to their friends, who then can spread it even further.

In one instance, a friend who had received updates from her family members still living in Iran captured their first-hand account in a Facebook Note. It expressed the range of emotions the family felt about the violent crackdown in that country -- fear, animosity and a desire for the truth to be told.

People are even re-posting first-aid instructions on Facebook, giving Iranians access to this basic information in Persian. The hard evidence of the government reaction is everywhere with status updates and photos documenting the Iranian struggle.