John Kelly and Bruce Etling of Harvard University researched the Iranian blogosphere and their report, Mapping Iran’s Online Public [.pdf], reveals some interesting findings regarding the online presence of Iranian Bloggers. Using some complex science, these gentlemen produced an insightful look into the online world of Iranian discourse. Unlike typical stereotypes, Iranian bloggers are not just a wild bunch of dissatisfied youth working against the regime. According to Kelly and Etling, the Iranian social media landscape is much more complex – in their own words:

We used computational social network mapping in combination with human and automated content analysis to analyze the Iranian blogosphere. In contrast to the conventional wisdom that Iranian bloggers are mainly young democrats critical of the regime, we found a wide range of opinions representing religious conservative points of view as well as secular and reform-minded ones, and topics ranging from politics and human rights to poetry, religion, and pop culture. Our research indicates that the Persian blogosphere is indeed a large discussion space of approximately 60,000 routinely updated blogs featuring a rich and varied mix of bloggers. Social network analysis reveals the Iranian blogosphere to be dominated by four major network formations, or poles, with identifiable sub-clusters of bloggers within those poles. We label the poles as 1) Secular/Reformist, 2) Conservative/Religious, 3) Persian Poetry and Literature, and 4) Mixed Networks.

The Iranian Blogosphere (Click for Larger Image)

This taxonomy of Iran’s social media landscape is useful to those of us interested in engaging Iran online. If we want to understand, influence and support change in Iran, this online community offers tremendous access to the thought leaders and organizers of change. We should support the “Secular / Reformist” demographic with the tools, information, and infrastructure needed to support their online activities both in and out of Iran. While our President seeks an effective dialogue with Iran, we must not ignore Iran’s treatment of these bloggers. The US State Department and other agencies should hold Iran accountable for their behavior. We don’t need to do this in an aggressive manner – accountability can come from honest, transparent documentation of Iran’s treatment of its citizens. With our nation’s resources and the help of Iranians and others online, we could easily document the abuses of Mahmoud’s regime and expose their actions to the world.

For a vivid and cost-effective example of accountability, consider the work of a handful of Vancouver Film students. While researching for her script Conflict of Interest, Kate Tremills wrote an Iranian Blogs script which she pitched to the Vancouver Design School – these students then produced the video “Iran: A Nation of Bloggers” included below. Inspired by the book “We are Iran: The Persian Blogs”, Kate has produced a video which offers great promise to those hoping to change Iran.

Iran understands the threat from social media. In addition to imprisonment, the regime is now considering the death penalty for “offensive bloggers” as seen in the Al Jazeera news segment below. The US should recognize the power of the Iranian blogosphere and step up our efforts to understand, support and engage this community.

If we do decide to hold Iran accountable on the social web, we should be aware that Iran will likely respond with online attacks against these efforts. Since February of 2009, the U.S.-based Persian-language social media site, Balatarin.com, was attacked by hackers linked to Iran. These hackers went after personal information and credit card numbers in an attempt to intimidate and identify Iranians opposed to the regime. This breach of security can be devastating, particularly if we are looking to organize and support Iranian’s who want to hold the regime accountable.

In a final warning, Omid Habibinia, an Iranian media researcher and journalist living in exile in Switzerland, provides some dire warnings about Iranian intelligence using the social web to track and identify dissent. I too have noticed this activity on Facebook, with odd “friend requests” coming from friendly Iranians. As always, be careful who you friend, follow and poke – the social web can be a dangerous place if you’re not careful.