336 Mediated Publics
these anti-filters are blocked, it seems to be a never-ending confrontation
between Internet users and the government.
espite the absence of economic and social criteria such as wealth D
and social position in cyberspace, criteria of distinction are still effective,
though in a milder way. For instance, when bloggers are known by their
real names and have a high social rank (politician, university professor,
well-known author or journalist), and when they are known as an author-
ity in Weblogistan, interactions are generally more respectful, according
to the norms of Iranian society, although there is more familiarity than
in physical space. However, the real authority in Weblogistan is wielded
according to different criteria than those used in physical space. In cyber-
space, the length of time the blog has been published matters more than
the age of the blogger. Factors such as discipline, content, style, length,
originality of writing, regularity of posting, technical knowledge, and
the aesthetic of the Web page are of considerable importance, as is the
quality and extent of interaction with other bloggers, the number of links
to the site, sincerity and courage toward and respect for other bloggers;
these factors all define the social position of bloggers in cyberspace more
than their “real” social status. A blogger could write under a pseudonym
and reveal little about his/her personal life (profession, age, location) and
become an important authority, while a well-known professor or politi-
cian who is arrogant, distant, writes only periodically, or is not acquainted
with weblog writing style can simply be ignored. This reconception of
authority allows some young bloggers to mobilize, organize a protest, or
gather bloggers for a humanitarian issue in Weblogistan and through the
international media to influence events in the physical world.
ne example is the Web site “Change for Equality” launched by fem-O
inist activists in 2006.^30 “Change for Equality” is related to the successful
campaign, “One million signatures demanding changes to discriminatory
law” in the physical world, where Iranian activists are collecting signatures
door to door to later present to Parliament. “Women’s Field” is another
Web site launched by feminist activists to promote the campaign, “Stop
Stoning Forever,” and there is a campaign to allow women to attend public
sports events.^31 All these Web sites have been filtered by the government
several times, and were later republished with a new address; they also
send information about new issues by email to interested readers.