Syria: Campaign to boycott telecom companies and demand lower rates begins
Image by donknuth
In a extremely connected world, Syria is still lagging behind; The Internet was introduced to the public close to the year 2000 and currently the penetration rate stands at about 17%. The vast majority of users, however, still endure the screeches of a dial-up modem due to the country's weak broadband infrastructure. Cellular networks were licensed to operate in Syria in 2001 and ever since day one, the media echoed the customers’ discontent with service rates. The state of the struggling Syrian telecoms sector is largely attributed to the US embargo on the country and corruption within the Syrian telecom bodies.
Syrian bloggers decided they have had enough with the current prices Syrian mobile carriers – Syriatel and MTN Syria) – and the services they offer. The reaction came in the form of a campaign to boycott of mobile carriers on June 1st which was picked up [ar] by the local media.
The campaigners sent out the following message:
قاطعوا الموبايل في واحد حزيران 2009
ساهموا معنا في الحملة الوطنية للضغط على شركات الاتصالات لتخفيض الفواتير أسوةً بالبلدان المجاورة […] ساهم معنا وانشر الخبر ليصل إلى أكبر عدد ممكن
Contribute with us in the national campaign to lobby the telecom companies to lower the bills to become similar to neighboring countries […] Contribute with us and spread the news to reach as many people as possible
Anarchist Queer weighed in saying [ar]:
بالنسبة لي فأنا أقاطع الشركات ليس فقط لأجورها العالية وإنّما أيضاً
لأساليب النصب والاحتيال التي يتبعونها مع زبائنهم, وكنت شاهدة على ذلك
خلال فترة تدريبي في شركة إم تي إن قبل أن أقدم استقالتي.
And on Twitter Salamm said[ar]:
"I Like this Mobile Boycott campaign, and I'm spreading it around (offline) it would've been better if it were for more than one day."
Finally, Somar from Syria Talk said in a reply to a comment:
الموضوع الأهم أنو يحس الشباب أنو نحنا كلنا ايد وحدة..بغض النظر عن الدين والطوائف…لازم نجتمع لنغيير الوضع نحو الأفضل…طالما الأفضل هوي لنا جميعاً
2 comments
The Multitude Group proposed a very effective technique for boycott that requires ubiquitous media recorders, like cell phone cameras or normal digital cameras, the use of social networking websites, and various electronic means of communication. In addition to creating a consumer aversion for a specific product category, this technique’s success relies on creating a conflict between the interests of the targeted entity and the distributors of its output. We call it viral labeling.
http://sites.google.com/site/multitude2008/Home/organize-efficient-boycott-campaigns
The viral labeling is the first boycott technique that successfully combines online (virtual) and real life activities. To our knowledge, it is also the first scheme that effectively uses the distributor and reinforces the position of competitors.
If you decide to use viral labeling please send us feedback, as we will continue to improve this method.
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