Anna Hazare, Jan Lokpal Bill top FB status updates in 2011

NEW DELHI: Social activist Anna Hazare created a movement not only in the country but on Facebook also, as people discussed and debated the Jan Lokpal bill, making him the most talked about topic in 2011 on the social networking site.

The Facebook Memology 2011, which captured the top ten Facebook status trends during the year, ranked Anna Hazare and the Jan Lokpal Bill at the top as most mentioned in status updates.

"This year in India, Anna Hazare and Jan Lokpal bill was the most talked about topic which triggered a wide roar amongst all Indians against corruption. His fast led to a nationwide protests in India," Facebook said in a statement.

Social networking sites were used as an organising tool for protests during the Anna Hazare fast earlier this year.

Shahrukh Khan's much hyped film Ra.One followed Hazare in popularity, as people talked about the movie and the song Chammak Challo, sung by R&B superstar Akon.

Status updates about deaths and condolences for terrorist Osama bin Laden, ghazal singer Jagjit Singh and Steve Jobs were the next most common updates.

Facebook has more than 25 million users in India and 800 million users globally.

Other most discussed topics include cricketers Yuvraj Singh and M S Dhoni, Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar, the Indian National Congress as well as earthquakes in Sikkim (2011) and Gujarat (2001).

Globally, death of Laden was the most talked about status update, followed by Packers winning the Super Bowl, Casey Anthony found not guilty, actor Charlie Sheen, death of Steve Jobs, the Royal Wedding, the death of singer Amy Winehouse, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 video game, military operations begin in Libya and Hurricane Irene.

Anna Hazare, Jan Lokpal bill top status updates in 2011

CHENNAI: Communications minister Kapil Sibal may think content on social networking sites is offensive, but a new study shows that the users are politically engaged people who air views and share news online.

According to a report released by Facebook, Anna Hazare and the Jan Lokpal bill were mentioned the most in status updates in 2011 in India. But Sibal might just dislodge Hazare if he persists with the demand to pre-screen internet content. On Twitter, #IdiotKapilSibal was the trending topic on Tuesday.

The Facebook study shows that social media users in the country prefer to share and discuss political events rather than entertainment reports. "Today's social platforms are allowing people to do something about the things they believe in. The criticism that this is just a modern version of armchair activism, or re-tweet activism, is unfair," said Narendra Nag, general manager, 2020 Social, an online community management firm.

Social networking sites were used as an organizing tool for protests during the Anna Hazare fast in April. Facebook, with over 38 million Indian users-over 3% of the population-is credited with playing a significant role in the 'India Against Corruption' movement. Likewise, Twitter, MySpace and Blackberry Messenger have been key to political movements globally.

"We had the right policy and correct philosophy (Jan Lokpal bill), and the huge number of social media users helped the movement," said Anna Hazare's former blogger and political analyst Raju Parulekar. In future, such channels will play a bigger role in democratic countries like ours, he said.

Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Ra.One' and song 'Chammak Chalo' were the second most-shared topics on status updates followed by Osama bin Laden, Jagjit Singh and Steve Jobs.

Globally, Osama bin Laden's death topped the status trend among a total of 800 million users as of September.

A separate study by Pew Research in June said that Facebook users are politically more active than other social media users. This year, social media has played a key role in international politics. The sites have been used to spread mass anti-government protests in Syria, Libya, and other North African countries.

The London riots in August were planned using social media tools, especially Blackberry Messenger. Later, police cracked down on planned riots with the help of Research In Motion, the makers of Blackberry. In the UK, status messages about the riots were the second most popular, after the Royal Wedding.

"Willingness to express opinions and network with large numbers of people will continue to fuel reform movements and people will thoroughly participate in such events," said Kiruba Shankar, tech expert and CEO of Business Blogging, a social media consultant.

On the move to control the content on the internet, Parulekar said, "I am absolutely against any kind of censorship in media or social media." He said these tools are important for democracy and democratic referendum.

Social media users and analysts suspect that the government does not want another Anna Hazare-type movement, which was powered by social media. "My suspicion is that they want to protect the government, fearing mass movements like the ones in Syria, Libya or other Middle East countries," Shankar said. "The internet is the world's largest democracy and it should not be meddled with."

Steve Jobs helped me in my fight: Anna

NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare, who followed the crucial debate on Lokpal in Parliament on his iPad during his fast, has paid rich tributes to the gadget's creator Steve Jobs, saying his innovations have helped him in his fight for Jan Lokpal Bill.

"Steve Jobs will always be remembered for his unparallelled contribution to the world of technology. The news of his death is saddening," Hazare said in his latest blog posting.

Jobs, the co-founder of Apple which developed the iPad, died in New York on October 6 after fighting pancreatic cancer for years.

Hazare remembered Jobs as one of those who "sculpted the history of technology by bringing about a revolutionary change" that brought the world together.

"He enabled a line of direct inter-personal communication between people staying in different places at different levels. His contribution will be remembered forever. Jobs used his imagination and futuristic viewpoint as he worked on his research hence his revolutionary thoughts will always hold an important place in modern history," he said.

Acknowledging that technology has been helpful in organising people to fight against injustice and corruption, he said Jobs' innovations have brought about a revolutionary change.

"I have personally experienced this during my fight for Jan Lokpal Bill. Without any doubt, we will need it at every step of our life," he said.

"Though he is not present physically, his work has immortalised him forever. Here, I will quote Samarth Ramdas, a saint from Maharashtra, marave pari kirti rupi uraave (When a person is no more, he should be remembered for his work)," he said.

Hazare had on August 27, the 12th day of his fast in Ramlila Maidan demanding a strong Lokpal Bill, followed the crucial debate in Parliament over Lokpal Bill on his iPad.

"Bahut achaa hai (it is very good)," the 74-year-old Gandhian had then remarked as he watched the proceedings in his makeshift room at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

Anna Hazare Says Steve Jobs Helped Lokpal Movement

High-profile folks across India, from billionaires to Bollywood actresses to the Prime Minister, joined the global chorus of tributes for Steve Jobs. Social activist Anna Hazare also jumped on the bandwagon — though perhaps a little late, given that the Apple co-founder and tech pioneer died last Wednesday.

India’s anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, right, and supporter Kiran Bedi
 watch parliament proceedings on an iPad on the 12th day of Hazare’s fast
against corruption in New Delhi, India, on Aug. 27, 2011

India’s anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, right, and supporter Kiran Bedi watch parliament proceedings on an iPad on the 12th day of Hazare’s fast against corruption in New Delhi, India, on Aug. 27, 2011.
Hazare took it a step further, praising the inventions Jobs helped create as revolutionary beyond the realm of technology, saying they played a role during his anticorruption campaign.

“Technology has been of great help for spreading awareness and organizing people and can be used as an effective tool for those who are suppressed and have to deal with injustice and corruption,” Hazare wrote in his blog. “Steve Jobs innovations have brought about a revolutionary change and are a great form of support. I have personally experienced this during my fight for Janlokpal Bill,” he added.

Hazare, 73, doesn’t come across as particularly tech-savvy. In fact, one of the few times Hazare crossed paths with an iPad was during his August fast, when policewoman Kiran Bedi used it to livestream the parliamentary debate on the Lokpal Bill. At the time, Bedi said Hazare was pleased with Apple’s touchscreen tablet. After the debate, she tweeted: “Shown Anna ongoing proceeding in Parliament on IPad as he does not have a TV in his room. He smiled and said ‘bahut achaa hai’,” Hindi for “it is very good.”