‘We Have the Right to Detain the Regime’s Opponents’ -Taliban-Haqqani Terror Group spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid
Twitter Spaces are Booming
As the Taliban-Haqqani terrorist network continues to clamp down on free speech and civil rights in Afghanistan, Afghans are finding safer ways to talk. Those familiar with Twitter Spaces may have noticed the sharp increase of Afghans organizing meetings globally. The growth seems to be proportionate to the violence that the Taliban regime is using against citizens in Afghanistan.
I and a few other non-Afghans have been taking part in these dialogues over the last few months and have noted the wide variety of Afghan voices that are hosting, speaking on panels, or listening to the events. Twitter Spaces are open to all users with the Twitter app, and phones seem to work best (doesn’t work on my Tablet and can’t speak while on my laptop). That ease of access means that in almost every event, you will have both Afghans speaking out against the illegal regime and members of the Taliban-Haqqani network. This free-speech zone is great for sharing ideas, but also increases the risks to the lives of Afghans living inside Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Hundreds of people join Spaces to listen and to try to ask a question or make a statement. Topics of recent events include how the Republic failed to repel the invasion, what to do next, strategies for creating more unity, what to do about Norway flying Taliban-Haqqani terrorists on lavish jets to Oslo, and why fundamentalists are against liberal education for their citizens.
There are lots of pros and cons of Spaces but it does offer some great opportunities for Afghans to connect, brainstorm, and organize for the future of Afghanistan after the Taliban regime falls again. On the negative side sometimes, people use their time on Spaces to be a bigot or to slander others.
Tips for Running a Twitter Spaces Forum
Anyone can organize a Spaces event, which in itself is both positive and negative. Not everyone knows how to run a public forum, so here are some friendly tips for making the most of your free speech.
1. Time
Keep it short overall. Two hours is more than enough time to make your points and let the audience speak. Anything longer is a waste of time, unless you are holding some official meeting and working through a long agenda. Keep the introductions short if you are the host. You should give out the biographies in advance—and most people have Google. Just tweet out a thread with your guests on it and let the audience do their homework.
Lay out the rules for your event in advance as well and remind people when you start what their time limit is to make a statement or answer a question. It is understandable that your panelists will have more time to speak than the audience. Don’t be afraid to cut any person off if they run-over on time, attempt to hijack or sidetrack the event, or if they are bigots or slanderers. Having a time keeper in your hosting team is a good idea, and you should always have 2-3 cohosts to keep things on track.
2. Agenda/Announcements
Be clear about your purposes for the Space. People need to be interested in the topic so tell them why they should come. Then stick to the topics by following your agenda. Your agenda should be very public and not too detailed. Be sure you know the roles of hosts and speakers and that you tell them in advance how you plan to run the event. When you announce your Spaces events ensure you explain what languages can be used, and what time it will occur in all the key time zones of your audience.
3. Diversity
If you look at common complaints, you can see folks tire easily of hosts and panelists that all agree with each other—ensure you have diversity of thought/ideas. Half the planet is female so ensure your panels represent the topic as fairly as possible. Include people of various nationalities and ancestries as appropriate for the topic. If you find that someone on the panel or in the audience keeps monopolizing the discussion you need to cut them off and choose another person quickly.
4. Create a series with a purpose
If you are ready for the next level of Spaces try creating a planned series of events around one main purpose. This allows you to bring on a variety of cohosts and panelists to engage the audience and to build on the last Spaces’ outcomes. Be clear on what the main goals are for each series event. Publish the names of people you want to speak in your series. Then take polls to find out who your audience wants to hear from and what topics they want to cover—and even take questions in advance. You should listen to your audience before, during, and after the event as they are being very honest about what they like and don’t like. Finally, wrap-up your events both orally and in writing. This ensures you are moving the discussion forward, because going over the same ground each time you gather will not make a bit of difference.
Spaces are a great tool if used properly; if misused, they equate to a bunch of people sitting in a virtual room ranting selfishly and not listening to each other. Be smarter than your equipment.
Twitter spaces need a host with a solid internet connection and might be susceptible to intentional internet blackouts to cut off the hosts ability to use the platform. If possible, it is wise to have a host living outside Afghanistan.
