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June 21, 2007
SMS Campaigns in Asia Enable On-The-Go Social Activism
Recent protests in China, Pakistan and Thailand have involved a number of SMS-based mobile campaigns. Mobile Active points to the idea that the increased speed of SMS messaging enables a new kind of on-the-go social activism.
As the speed of mobile communication increases, an effective persuasive message has more potential to quickly reach a larger worldwide audience. Recent examples include....
CHINA
The Asia Sentinel reports that a recent backlash against a large petro-chemical plant incited a large scale mobile messaging campaign. The following message was sent to over 1 million mobile phones:
“For our children and grandchildren, act! Participate among 10,000 people, June 1 at 8am, opposite the municipal government building! Hand tie yellow ribbons! SMS all your Xiamen friends! “
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=520&Itemid=31
PAKISTAN
DNA India reports that a popular message uses irony to deride the President of Pakistan General Musharraf:
“Imagine the pleasure of living in a land where the chief justice cannot get justice for himself and the army chief, security for his life.” Satire runs through a message pretending to be a campaign letter from Musharraf himself. Part of it reads: “I have the honour of kicking out from the country two former elected prime ministers...” The letter further reads, “I am the one who had handed over hundreds of Pakistanis to the American Federal Bureau of Investigation...” The letter then goes on, to say, “I almost sold a steel mill for the price of plastic toys... Please vote for my Pakistan Muslim League (Q) stooges... or don’t vote at all, so that I can enlighten you further!”
THAILAND
The Thai military is using SMS to overtly persuade people not to join protests. According to Forbes,
"Many people in Thailand have reported receiving unexpected SMS messages urging them to be calm and peaceful. 'Thai people should adhere to the king's speech, be calm ... reasonable and respect the laws,' said one message signed by the Council for National Security (CNS), as the junta calls itself. Another message read: 'The army chief and the junta leader want to see the country remain in peace and reach reconciliation. We request every party involved to do their best job and adhere to peaceful guidelines.' "
----- Dan Ackerman-Greenberg
Posted by Dan at June 21, 2007 10:14 AM
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