
Twitter Suggested for Nobel Peace Prize - chanux
http://www.pcworld.com/article/168273/twitter_suggested_for_nobel_peace_prize.html
======
miguelpais
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 ...

~~~
timr
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.

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

------
mixmax
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
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>

~~~
mixmax
Ah, good catch. I had no idea.

~~~
I_got_fifty
It's because they used to be the same country.

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

------
jacquesm
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.

------
wicknicks
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.

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

~~~
Semiapies
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.)

------
onreact-com
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.

------
andrewbadera
Oh boy. Just what Biz and Ev need.

