Trampled by Unicorns

CHAPTER 5Anti-Social Networks

What a difference a decade makes. While still in their infancy, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter were hailed for their—albeit hotly contested—galvanizing roles in Iran's Green Movement in 2009 and the Arab Spring, which started less than two years later. Indeed, so fired up was he by the possibilities of social media that, writing in July 2009, Bush-era deputy national security advisor Mark Pfeifle called for Twitter and its creators to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.¹ “When traditional journalists were forced to leave the country, Twitter became a window for the world to view hope, heroism, and horror,” he wrote giddily. “It became the assignment desk, the reporter, and the producer… Without Twitter, the people of Iran would not have felt empowered and confident to stand up for freedom and democracy. They did so because they knew the world was watching. With Twitter, they now shout hope with a passion and dedication that resonates not just with those on their street, but with millions across the globe.”

There were notable skeptics of course, celebrated author Malcolm Gladwell among them. He dismissed what he characterized as the exaggerated claims, which largely emanated from the Valley and breathless media cheerleaders, writing, “Innovators tend to be solipsists. They often want to cram every stray fact and experience into their new model.”²

Still, few would dispute the early 2010s were certainly something of a golden era for social ...