I guess many of you have been following the news items about the elections in Iran. I think this is a very pivotal election, but I am also interested in the impact that young people and technology is having on the issues surrounding the election.

Around 60% of the population of Iran is under 25 years of age and they tend to be more aware of the world—politically aware and technologically connected. Many of them had not voted before this election so this is their first time to be involved with the political situation ... and they are not happy with the way politics is working in their country.

What is interesting following the aftermath of the result, is the way that the younger generation is using technology to challenge the election result. They are using blogs, social network sites, and mobile phones to spread messages ... letting the outside world know and see what is happening, and organising their rallies and strategies. Here are some examples from the BBC website:

Middle East political and security analyst James Spencer told the BBC that tags like “IranElection” on the social networking site Twitter have attracted huge numbers of “followers”. These tweets often reference a YouTube clip or a URL, thus further increasing the audience. ...

A YouTube spokesperson said there had been an increase in activity for all types of videos related to the Iranian election. People were turning to the video-sharing website to get the latest from people on the ground who had “uploaded their experiences live and in the midst of the action,” the spokesperson added.

BBC Persian TV received scores of amateur videos after street protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election last week. The BBC is currently receiving around five videos a minute, with hundreds more appearing on YouTube, Facebook, and other social networking sites.

"Although communication is very hard inside Iran, people’s e-mails are still working and that is how they are exchanging information,” said a BBC Persian TV producer.

The BBC’s Gavin Hewitt said this younger, internet-savvy generation was rocking the centre of power. He said the hundreds of images captured on their mobile phones were telling the story of this crisis.

“The protesters are sending blogs and using messaging services like twitter—it’s a virtual game of cat and mouse,” he said.

Read the BBC article

I think this situation is a great example of the use of technology as a new form of sharing information, giving power, and sidetracking the established norms and setting new direction for a younger generation.

I look forward with interest how this plays out. I also am looking to see how technology starts to impact other institutions and structures that have been 'in place' for many years, including the Christian faith and church.