Twitter Suggested for Nobel Peace Prize

http://www.pcworld.com/article/168273/twitter_suggested_for_nobel_peace_prize.html

by chanux • 17 years ago

12 23 17 years ago

pcworld.com

andrewbadera• 17 years ago

Oh boy. Just what Biz and Ev need.

miguelpais• 17 years ago

Err... That's ridiculous.

Although important, that's was not promoting peace, it was promoting a revolution. And why should the creator of the platform receive the credit for its user content? If it was not Twitter people would be doing the same over email. Should we award instead the creator of the the web, or the creator of the integrated circuit or ...

anulman• 17 years ago

I disagree, though not entirely.

I do think that it's a pretty frivolous nomination, given the history of the Peace Prize.

That said, I think the nomination reflects a major change we're living through: where change, revolution, and the peace that will hopefully come (as ousting Ahmadinejad will remove a violent, seemingly war-bent leader) are dictated by a self-organizing community, not a common voice speaking through an individual.

If the latter view becomes more prevalent over the coming years, who better to give the Peace Prize to than those who make self-organization possible and "sticky"?

What's ridiculous today can easily become tomorrow's future (a PC in every home? Don't get me started...).

ErrantX• 17 years ago

Indeed they gave it to Gore for his politico-ing :)

igorgue• 17 years ago

I totally agree!, and... with that said, I don't think some people opinions should be taken as a majority, and even more if it comes from the web, internet usage is so low worldwide. Iran != US.

I posted my opinion about Honduras situation (which is very similar, and I would say worse than Iran's, and still didn't get much press... interesting ah?):

http://igordevlog.blogspot.com/2009/07/interweb-world.html

timr• 17 years ago

Yes, it's completely absurd.

I mean...if you're going to suggest that a technology provider be given a Nobel Peace Prize for Iranian protests, at least pick something that had a significant effect -- like a cell phone network. Because despite all of the press that Twitter received, there's not that much evidence that it played any significant role in the protests. And for every one person using Twitter, there were hundreds -- if not thousands -- of people using cell-phones to communicate about the protests, with little fanfare or media attention.

http://www.slate.com/id/2220736/

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/remember_moldova.php

http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/04/17/04

http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/06/19/01

I suppose that you could argue that Twitter was responsible for bringing the Iranian protests into the American media spotlight, but the thing about the coverage was that it was mostly about Twitter, only superficially about Iran. You could tune into any major media outlet and hear gobs about how precious, precocious Twitter was so important to the Iranian protests that the US State Department wouldn't let them take downtime -- but you didn't hear that much about the Iranian protests! It was an example of US media navel-gazing, at its finest.

Semiapies2• 17 years ago

Cell phones didn't let people outside Iran convince themselves they were "a part of things" by changing their timezones or using green icons.

jgrahamc• 17 years ago

I agree it's ridiculous, but if they do go ahead, I nominate YouTube to receive the literature prize for its quality comments.

jacquesm3• 17 years ago

I think it is even more ridiculous than that, a communications medium is neutral, nothing stops the 'bad guys' from using it as well.

balding_n_tired• 17 years ago

Maybe if it were the prize for literature. Have a look at some of the forgotten and forgettable who have received that...

Semiapies2• 17 years ago

Eh, the Peace Prize has had a lot of dubious winners, too. (Doesn't mean suggestions like this guy's shouldn't be mocked, but still.)

mixmax2• 17 years ago

Where to begin...

First the article says that a former US national security advisor thinks twitter should get a Nobel peace prize. There's a long way from that to credible speculation that they'll get one. There are no claims from inside sources, a claim that PG thinks Sam Odio should get the Nobel Prize in physics would be equally credible.

Second the committee that decides who gets the prize is secret and doesn't leak information. And it's in Sweden. The article qoutes US sources that have nothing to do with the process.

Third historically nobel prizes are only given once it's proven that you weren't wrong, primarily for political reasons. Twitter isn't quite there yet, they may well be bankrupt next year. There are exceptions to this rule but they are rare.

m_eiman• 17 years ago

Minor note: the peace prize is actually handled in Norway, not in Sweden. The other prizes are in Sweden, though.

More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize

mixmax2• 17 years ago

Ah, good catch. I had no idea.

jacquesm3• 17 years ago

Historically the prizes are given to organizations who have as their main focus peace, not to communications media.

You may as well nominate AT&T or some other phone company.

I_got_fifty2• 17 years ago

Good point.

jacquesm3• 17 years ago

Well, given that they guy that invented dynamite is giving his name to a peace prize we shouldn't really be surprised that it gets used in ways that are creative with words.

vijayr• 17 years ago

This is definitely ridiculous. It would be nicer to give the nobel peace prize to someone like kiva.org Twitter is just another communication medium - cool? yes, fun? yes, but hardly revolutionary

keyist• 17 years ago

Oh please. Not this again. Read http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/author/reeseerlich/ for the take of someone whose knowledge of Iran predates June 2009. Provides a lot more perspective than the social media wankery.

acexman• 17 years ago

"Err... That's ridiculous." indeed, let's give nobel peace prize to the pen writer used...

onreact-com• 17 years ago

Wow. The guy that suggested it is a 200% neocon war-monger and ardent supporter of George W Bush. Just read his Wikipedia entry which is obviously very flattering of him, maybe a tad too much... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pfeifle

Plus he currently just has 239 followers n Twitter. Maybe this is just "get more followers" stunt.

wicknicks• 17 years ago

I don't think Twitter had anything to do with the peace protests in Iran. Its a real time communication mechanism which enables people to do things. And also a very noisy one.

Twitter Suggested for Nobel Peace Prize

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