Say you’re a government that recently faced massive public opposition that organized through social media, bad enough you considered banning Twitter outright. What’s your next step?
If you’re Turkey, you start playing that game yourself.
The country’s ruling Justice and Development (AKP) party has announced plans to develop a 6,000-member team devoted to shaping public opinion through social media, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The goal is to mostly hire young people, and will focus primarily on Twitter and Facebook, though Instagram and YouTube will get some attention too.
A senior party official quoted in the Journal described the project as “aim[ed] at developing a positive political language which we are teaching to our volunteers,” and that “when the opposing camp spreads disinformation about the party, we correct them with valid information, always using positive language.”
A handful of other countries officially employ similar propaganda tactics. Such countries are ranked far more harshly on Reporters Without Borders’ “Enemies of the Internet” index.
In May and June, the AKP received resounding international criticism for its violent crackdown of a popular uprising surrounding the government’s attempt to replace Istanbul’s Gezi Park. The party apparently was caught completely off guard with how protesters can organize through Twitter, especially as Turkey’s traditional media barely mentioned the protests.
At the time, Turkey arrested at least 29 people were for tweeting “misleading information” or “propaganda.” The head of AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has yet to tweet the Turkish word for irony. – The Daily Dot
A deluge of duty military personnel as well as many veterans are taking to Twitter to express their opposition to the Obama administration’s plan to launch an attack on Syria.
After numerous US servicemembers posted photos of themselves holding up signs on Twitter refusing to fight on the side of Al-Qaeda in Syria, the meme developed into several different hashtag trends, including #IdidntJoin and #VetsOnSyria.
Congressman Justin Amash, a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s build-up to war, has been inundated with tweets from active duty military members and veterans in anticipation of a House vote on authorization of military action which is set to take place next week.
Opposition to an attack on Syria is by no means only reserved to regular servicemembers. Numerous top brass have also gone public to express their concerns and Pentagon officials are even leaking information in a desperate bid to derail the path to war.
Many members of Congress have expressed dissatisfaction at the evidence presented to them by the administration in behind closed door meetings.
In a related development, the French government released an intelligence report today which alleged “massive use of chemical agents” by the Syrian government last month. The report was “based… in part on dozens of videos culled by French intelligence services.” In other words, this damning “intelligence” report relies primarily on YouTube videos of the attack, which offer no clues whatsoever to who the culprits even were.
The German BND also issued a similar statement, but tried to quell the growing opposition to chancellor Angela Merkel‘s toadying to the US. Her attention-grabbing necklace from Sunday night’s political debate has received its own popular Twitter parody account.
The Germany Necklace account purports to tweet from the perspective of Merkel’s debate necklace, which bears the colors of the German flag in the wrong order, and parodies the amount of attention the accessory received in the media when compared to issues such as Syria, taxes and the eurozone crisis.
“It’s getting warm here,” tweeted the necklace, which was approaching 7,500 followers to @schlandkette on Monday.
“I give the chancellor my full backing,” the account tweeted.
President Bashar Al-Assad also warned today that potential western military intervention in Syria could spark a “regional war,” adding that “chaos and extremism will spread” if Obama green lights an attack which he has signaled will take place no matter which way Congress votes.
One of the teens charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Australian baseball player Christopher Lane in Duncan, Okla. in the US, previously posted anti-white statements on his Twitter feed.
James Edwards, 15, Chancey Luna, 16, and Michael Jones, 17, have all been charged as adults in Lane’s death. Lane, a 22 year-old student from Melbourne, was out for a jog last Friday evening when the three teens began following him in a car and shot him “just for the fun of it,” according to Duncan officials.
Edwards and Luna are charged with first-degree murder while Jones is accused of using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and as an accessory to first-degree murder after the fact. Edwards and Luna are held without bond; Jones’ bond has been set at $1 million.
Edwards’ social media activities are still on stark display and show the teen glorifying hip-hop, violence and sex. Pictures on Facebook also show Edwards and Luna wearing gang colors and flashing gang signs.
A couple of Tweets also suggest that Edwards wasn’t fond of white people.
On April 29, he tweeted, “90% of white ppl are nasty. #HATE THEM.” – Daily Caller
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has had his Twitter account suspended, hours after joining the service.
Users trying to access the Twitter account were greeted by a message saying “Sorry, that user is suspended”.
According to Twitter user Glenda Nevill, also the Editor of TheMediaOnline, Tutu’s account was suspended for “aggressive following”.
“Dear @Support. Official Desmond #Tutu account suspended for aggressive following but only followed 30. Please sort out asap,” she tweeted.
The incident comes just a few hours after Tutu tweeted that he had been burgled in the early hours of the morning.
Eyewitness News reported that burglars entered Tutu’s home in the early hours of Tuesday morning. It is believed Tutu and his wife were asleep at the time.
Tutu apparently discovered that the house had been burgled when he woke up at around 5am.
US media reports that Robert Ford, former top US envoy to Syria, will be Washington’s next ambassador to Egypt has sparked a vitriolic Twitter campaign over a Canadian conspiracy website’s claims that he once ran “death squads” in Iraq.
A little over two years ago, on July 8 2011, a convoy carrying the then US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford made its way through army checkpoints to the besieged city of Hama, then the centre of protests against the rule of the Assad regime.
The surprise visit was seen as the first concrete sign of US support for the Syrian opposition. It sparked a furious response from the government.
The veteran US diplomat is now being showered with invective and diatribe on Twitter.
The latest social media campaign against Ford was sparked by media reports over the weekend that US Secretary of State John Kerry had recommended the former envoy to Syria as the next US ambassador to Egypt.
But a number of Egyptians on Twitter were having none of it.
Within hours, hashtags such as #NoToRobertFord in English and in Arabic, “We refuse the American ambassador to Egypt,” appeared on the microblogging site.
“The new sponsor of terrorism in Egypt,” tweeted one user, referring to the US career diplomat. Another warned, “Watch out Ford, if you come to Cairo .. You won’t be an ambassador .. You will b a target”.
The Twitter campaign followed the publication of a post on a Canadian conspiracy website, accusing Ford of running “death squads” in Iraq, where he was political counsellor to the US embassy in Baghdad between 2004 and 2006.
The website in question, run by the Centre for Research on Globalisation, is known among other things for its scepticism of the official explanation of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The Egyptian daily, al-Masry al-Youm, reported the allegations, but could not establish their veracity.
The backlash could not come at a worse time for Washington. Anti-US sentiments are running high in the world’s most populous Arab nation and recipient of an annual $1.5 billion in US aid.
Muslim Brotherhood supporters accuse Washington of backing the Tamarod movement, which campaigned for democratically elected Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster earlier this year.
On the other hand, Morsi’ opponents are convinced the US is supporting the Brotherhood, while current US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson has turned into a reviled figure in the country.
In this milieu of mutual suspicions and rising tempers, Ford’s extensive diplomatic experience in the region has turned into a disadvantage instead of an asset.
A fluent Arabic speaker, Ford has also served in Bahrain and Algeria, leading some critics to draw parallels between the US diplomat and civil unrest in the countries he has been posted.
“When Robert Ford enters a country, he brings the shayatin (devils) in,” tweeted one user in Arabic, while another called the US envoy “the architect of fitna” – or upheaval.
Ford has been billed to take over the ambassadorship in Egypt after Patterson was nominated for a senior State Department post last week.
Patterson was appointed ambassador to Egypt in 2011, the year Ford was appointed top US envoy in Damascus. He was withdrawn from Syria in February 2012, after the security situation seriously deteriorated in the war-torn country.
While the New York Times cited unnamed US officials as saying Kerry had recommended Ford for the post, US State Department officials have not officially confirmed the report.
Ford’s appointment would require a recommendation by US President Barack Obama, followed by a Senate approval.
But for critics of the seasoned US diplomat, it’s never too early to express their opprobrium – on Twitter. – France24
Following an appearance on CNN, during which he called out host Piers Morgan for race baiting, radio talk show black host Larry Elder has been bombarded with racist remarks on Twitter from other black Americans.
Morgan admitted that he had booked Elder to appear because he had been critical of Morgan’s assertion that the key witness in the failed prosecution of George Zimmerman is a “smart cookie.”
While Morgan attempted to railroad Elder into calling Rachel Jeantel “stupid”, Elder instead focused on how he believes the media is engaging in outright race baiting over the Trayvon Martin case, stirring up division and promoting hatred.
Elder’s performance was lauded by many commentators as he slammed Morgan for treating “black people like children” and told him he should be “ashamed” of himself.
“I’m just bothered by how you are handling all this,” he said. “You think you are doing something for black people but you’re not. You’re making black people feel as if they are under siege and it’s not true, it’s an outrage!” Elder said.
Elder hit Morgan with cold hard facts, noting that there were 7,000 murders last year of black people, almost all of which were committed by other black people. Elder also highlighted the fact that there have been 480 black people murdered in Chicago alone this year, and 75 percent of the cases are yet to be solved.
“Where are the cameras, where are the shows?” Elder asked Morgan. “It’s outrageous to act as if black America should fear some non-black guy stalking some black kid at night. The likelihood of a black person being killed by a non-black person is extremely remote, which is why this became a big national issue in the first place.” he stated.
“Half of the murders in this country are committed by black people, even though black people are 12 percent of the population,” Elder urged. “This is why commonsensical people profile.”
“As if [the Zimmerman case] somehow is some sort of indictment of America and black people should look over their shoulders every night and act as if a white guy is going to jump out of a bush and get them. It’s outrageous,” he said. “Hard work wins. Get an education, don’t pay attention to negative people, stay focused and you’ll be OK in America. That’s why most of the people in the world want to come here, that’s why you want to come here, Piers.”
In response to Elder’s interview, he has received a torrent of racist abuse on social media sites from other black Americans. Below are numerous examples.
Warning: the following tweets directed at Elder contain extremely vulgar and racist language.
Look at this coon ass house nigger on CNN. Nigga so brainwashed.
— Trilla Bella きょあく (@RaeiaTheVillain) July 18, 2013
YOU ARE A PATHETIC PIECE OF SHIT YOU FUCKING HOUSE NIGGER @larryelder
— Trilla Bella きょあく (@RaeiaTheVillain) July 18, 2013
Larry Elder is the quintessential white man’s nigger. #PiersMorganLive
— Lindani Mazibuko (@Queer123Lindani) July 18, 2013
KEEP GETTIN ON CNN MAKING THOSE DUMBASS STATEMENTS AND SOME NIGGAS GONNA LEAVE YOUR ASS WET UP @larryelder #300
— Trilla Bella きょあく (@RaeiaTheVillain) July 18, 2013
I HOPE YOU HAVE A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK AND DROP DEAD YOU MONKEY MOUTH SELF HATING UNCLE TOM @larryelder
— Trilla Bella きょあく (@RaeiaTheVillain) July 18, 2013
Damn man, @larryelder is a house nigger blaming Blacks for their own problems and calling Rachel stupid
— Adam Rage (@abdirmo) July 18, 2013
The South African Human Rights Commission is concerned about the increase in racist posts on social networking sites such as Faceook and Twitter.
A social media law consultant, Emma Sadleir, has also warned that a racist tweeter or facebooker could be charged with crimen injuria or hate speech.
She was reacting to a string of racist posts made this week on Twitter by a former member of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s SRC.
Sfiso “Mabhiza” Mbatha, whose Twitter handle is @Cadre_General, sparked a furore on the site after he posted a message on Sunday that read: “#WhiteGenocide Would rape every 13yr old white girl after Mandela finally kick that bucket. Just for control”. Shortly after he wrote: “We gonna kill every white cockcroach that breath(es) SA’s air”.
SAHRC spokesman, Isaac Mangena, said no complaint had been received about Mbatha.
He said they had noted with concern the increase in such comment posts on social media sites and condemned it.
Mangena cited previous incidents of racism and intolerance such as Jessica Leandra Dos Santos’s offensive tweet last year which caused an outrage. The former FHM model tweeted “@JessicaLeandra: Just, well took on arrogant and disrespectful k***** inside Spar. Should have punched him, should have.”
He said such situations were dealt with to decrease intolerance in our communities.
Mangena said such behaviour should be a concern to everyone, not just the SAHRC, to guarantee that everyone lives in a harmonious society.
Mbatha’s posting drew a torrent of angry responses from across the country on Twitter and Facebook, which Mbatha replied to. Many of the exchanges included racist and obscene language.
Some said they would pray for Mbatha while others threatened his life.
Professor Pearl Sithole, of the faculty of community development at UKZN, yesterday said she was shocked to learn of the posts and questioned why they had not been reported to the police.
“This is beyond hate speech, it is a threat to people and to young girls in a country that is still struggling in terms of dealing with emotional and physical abuse of women,” said Sithole.
Reacting to the frenzy, an apologetic Mbatha on Tuesday said he meant no harm with his Twitter posts. “It was just a joke at the end of the day. But now I realise that they were uncalled for, they went overboard and pushed the limit. I did say that I was joking, but people responded by insulting me, so I insulted them back,” said Mbatha.
The former UKZN student representative council member said he was unaware his comments would ruffle feathers.
“It’s Twitter, it’s nothing personal, it’s just that people catch feelings. I think people need to learn that the moment you register on Twitter, you can tease people and they will tease you. I don’t have a problem with white people at all. I have white friends whom I love and they love me.”
Despite the apparent regret, Sithole maintained that Mbatha’s posts were immoral and has called for government to take action. “Mbatha is a pinnacle of moral disgrace, given that such statements are taking place while a Struggle icon of Mandela’s stature is fighting for his life,” she said.
Sadleir warned that Mbatha’s actions could have dire consequences.
“There are limits to the right to online freedom of expression – for example defamation, invasion of privacy, contempt of court, hate speech, intellectual property, harassment, etc. Comments posted on Facebook or Twitter are treated in exactly the same way as comments made in any other public forum, be it on television or radio, in a newspaper or in public discourse,” Sadleir said.
Sadleir said people posted things on social networks that they would be afraid to say in the real world, forgetting that they risked dismissal at work and criminal prosecution.
“The CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) has held all these dismissals to be fair. In the South African context, a racist Tweeter or Facebooker could be charged with crimen injuria or hate speech.
“The other option is to lay a complaint at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000, also known as the Equality Act,” Sadleir said. – Daily News
Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are a big draw for narcissists, but the ego-boosting tools are used in different self-aggrandizing ways by different generations, a University of Michigan study suggests.
The study details how young adults of college age and their adult counterparts use social media in differing ways to bolster their egos and control perceptions of others.
Vain college-age students favour the mouthpiece of Twitter to amplify their opinions and views in cyberspace.
‘Young people overvaluate the importance of their own opinions.’—Elliot Panek, University of Michigan researcher
“Young people overvaluate the importance of their own opinions,” said study researcher Elliot Panek. “Through Twitter, they’re trying to broaden their social circles and broadcast their views about a wide range of topics and issues.”
Adults who exhibit narcissism tend to prefer Facebook, which serves as a mirror.
“It’s about curating your own image, how you are seen, and also checking on how others respond to this image,” said Panek. “Middle-aged adults usually have already formed their social selves and they use social media to gain approval from those who are already in their social circles.”
Researchers at the university examined whether the narcissistic behaviour was related to the amount of time each subject spent posting, reading posts and commenting.
The study was broken down into two parts and the subjects were categorized into two groups.
The first section tested 486 college students with an average age of 19 who answered questions about the extent of their social media usage. The students also took part in a personality assessment measuring exhibitionism, superiority, authority, and self-sufficiency.
“Among young adult college students, we found that those who scored higher in certain types of narcissism posted more often on Twitter,” said Panek.
The second part of the study focused on 93 adults with an average age of 35 who completed a similar online survey.
“Among middle-aged adults from the general population, narcissists posted more frequent status updates on Facebook,” said the report.
The university’s study is among the first to compare usage of Facebook and Twitter sites to different age groups.
“It’s important to analyze how often social media users actually post updates on sites, along with how much time they spend reading the posts and comments of others,” said Panek. – CBC News
The FW de Klerk Foundation on Thursday formally accepted the apology of a man who allegedly posted a racist tweet.
The foundation said spiritual leader Kemo Waters had apologised for the tweet.
In January last year, the foundation laid a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) about the Twitter post.
Waters allegedly tweeted on January 7, 2012: “The only way to end racism is to kill a material number of whites @hellenzille your indifferent and patrionizing stance in a double dare”.
Waters recently released an apology statement: “I… hereby tender my summary and unequivocal apology to the public, the Commission, the FW de Klerk Foundation.”
He undertook to refrain from “conducting myself in a manner associated with hate speech or racism in the form complained about”.
On Thursday, the FW de Klerk Foundation said that while the Bill of Rights provided for freedom of expression, it prohibited advocacy of hatred based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and incitement to cause harm.
“It is imperative that all South Africans should bear in mind the constitutional prohibition against hate speech when they are participating in the national debate.”
It was also important for the public to complain about language that incited hatred or violence.
The foundation thanked the SAHRC for its work on the matter and the way it was handled.
In a statement last week SAHRC spokesman Isaac Mangena said that during mediation the commission was satisfied that the comments could be interpreted as hate speech.
However, it felt that this needed to be seen in the context of Waters’s experiences and perceptions.
During the mediation, Waters said he had experienced racial prejudice himself since moving to the Western Cape.
The SAHRC also took into consideration that Waters already apologised publicly, on a radio show and on Twitter, for his comment before the commission received the complaint.
The commission advised him to release a formal written apology to all South Africans.
“The FW de Klerk Foundation accepted Mr Waters’ apology and a mediation agreement was signed between Mr Waters and the complainant in April 2013,” Mangena said. – Sapa
A 22-year-old man has been released on police bail in connection with racist tweets aimed at the West Ham striker Carlton Cole, police said.
The man, from Southend in Essex, was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.
The footballer highlighted the messages on Twitter, which he received after his side’s defeat at Swansea at the weekend.
The 28-year-old player was targeted by the supposed Hammers fan in two foul-mouthed postings after West Ham lost 3-0 in south Wales.
The comments, which the player retweeted from his @CarltonCole1 account, questioned his performance and used a racist term to describe him.
A police spokesman said: “A man from Southend who was arrested in connection with racist football tweets has been released on police bail while the investigation continues.
“The 22-year-old man was arrested on Sunday August 26 following the tweets to West Ham player Carlton Cole. He has been released on police bail until Friday September 28 pending further inquiries.”
Cole took to Twitter to criticise his abuser.
He said: “Listen, i take racism a lot lighter than others and i do understand the banter that comes a long with it to get under peoples skin but…
“… it can sometimes be hurtful & insulting, i don’t mind when people criticise me for having a bad game or they think I’m crap at football…
“…but just say that, whether i am crap or had a bad game has nothing to with my race, creed or religion. lets just keep it FOOTBALL. Kapeesh? “
Fellow West Ham players Matt Jarvis, Kevin Nolan and Guy Demel were also subjected to abuse. – Press Association
Model Jessica Leandra Dos Santos has said it was not in her nature to use racist language after she caused a row on social networking site Twitter.
“Over the past 24 hours I have had time to reflect on my actions and I don’t have the words to express my sincere remorse following my unkindly and emotional outburst on Twitter recently,” Leandra said in a statement today.
“The people who know me know that this is not my nature and verbal usage.”
Leandra came under fire yesterday after posting a racist tweet.
On Thursday evening, she told her Twitter followers: “Just, well took on an arrogant and disrespectful kaffir inside Spar. Should have punched him, should have (sic).”
Leandra, who was men’s magazine FHM model of the year in 2011, has since deleted the post.
“No matter how much I was provoked, I do acknowledge that it was an inappropriate reaction to the incident. I have had time to reflect back on the incident and realise that I could have handled this differently,” she said.
Leandra said she had decided to get professional coaching to help her deal with instances of sexual harassment.
“I am still very young and if I can learn how to handle this more appropriately, perhaps other young ladies and woman in general can also benefit and learn from my experience.”
South Africans took to Twitter yesterday to voice their distaste at Leandra’s comment.
In a statement on its website FHM said Leandra had been stripped of her title as winner of the FHM Modelbook 2011 competition with immediate effect.
“It’s important to us that it is noted that she in no way represents the magazine; she was merely the winner of an online poll we ran, and that we totally distance ourselves from her blatantly racist comments,” FHM editor Brendan Cooper said in the statement.
“We have removed all pictures of her from our website and will have nothing to do with her in future.”
QuickTrim SA, one of her sponsors, tweeted: “Due to the severity of the remarks by #JessicaLeandra #QuickTrimSA herewith ends our sponsorship to her with immediate effect!”
Columnist Mabine Seabe wrote on the social networking site that he had lodged a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission.
– SAPA
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Say you’re a government that recently faced massive public opposition that organized through social media, bad enough you considered banning Twitter outright. What’s your next step?
