Media as International Actor

Feature Article

Informers identify activists; social media identifies informers

By Mackenzie Kamb

With the growth of technology and social media, the opportunities for individuals and small groups to express their beliefs, thoughts, and ideas have drastically increased. The Internet has created an extremely fast and effective way of communicating information around the world, and now those who have traditionally been denied a voice are given the opportunity to influence society by gaining the power and the support needed for change. The September 2011 Global Post article “Who watches the watchers?” by Annasofie Flamand and Hugh Macleod recognizes how protesters are using Facebook and other social media outlets as a means to identify Syrian informers.

As addressed by Flamand and Macleod, Syria’s Baath regime has maintained power and control over the nation through the help and assistance of civilian informers known as “awainiyya,” or the watchers. Whether a doctor, a lawyer, a taxi cab driver, a shop owner, or a real estate agent, these watchers are politically motivated. The article speaks to fear and money as being the primary motivation for many of the watchers, and a Duma activist known as Sami stated that “[t]hey [the watchers] tell security forces about the movement of activists and protesters during demonstrations.” While conflict has taken over Syria, protesters have begun using social media to battle back against the Baath regime and civilian informers. Flamand and Macleod state that, “Facebook now hosts dozens of awainiyya sites run by Syrian activists on which the names, addresses and even photos of suspected informers are posted.”

The Internet is working against informers in the same way that informers are working against protesters; it is calling them out for their role in Syria’s current conflict. Yet because of the Internet’s speed, accessibility, and interactivity, its audience is much larger and is reached in less time. Facebook isn’t the only means of communicating the current struggles in Syria; videos are also being posted showing the intense violence. In one instance, an informer witnessed three activists fleeing from security forces. The activists seemed to have gotten away and into a safe hiding place when the informer emerged and identified their location to the security forces. In a continued attempt to escape, one of the activists slipped from the building's roof and clung to a banister on his way down. A video supplied to international rights group Avaaz shows the security men throwing concrete blocks and stones at the activist until he fell three stories down. As the activist lay bleeding and injured in the street, the security men continued to throw blocks and stones toward the man.

This image of violence has become commonplace in Syria. As noted by the New York Times, the “[c]rackdown on pro-democracy protesters by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has left more than 3,500 people dead.” For nearly half a century, the Baath regime has maintained power leaving those who promote democracy marginalized; civilians have been living in a state of unrest. The media’s role as a social activist has allowed protesters in Syria to reach not only their neighbors and fellow activists in Syria, but also to reach foreign governments who hold international power and can influence change in Syria. Through technological advances, marginalized groups are given a means to influence others and state their beliefs, even if they differ from those of the ruling hierarchy. With the Internet available almost anywhere, websites like Facebook and Twitter provide a resource that targets multiple viewpoints and stances—not just the dominant one. This accessibility allows others around the world to decide for themselves what is true and what is false, or who to believe and who not to believe.