The people's tool

“Twitter is the people’s tool, the tool of the ordinary people, people who have no other resources.”

— Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. 

Photo and bio: wikipedia
Quote: from Is Twitter a Human Right? One Chinese Activist Thinks So.

Saying he spent a minimum of 8 hours a day on Twitter, Ai Weiwei said that Twitter was well suited to a language where each character is an entire word. “With 140 characters in Chinese you really can write a novel,” he quipped.

Ai Weiwei, who sustained a serious head injury after he was beaten by police while attempting to testify at a colleague’s trial, made it clear that Twitter was a lifeline for Chinese activists eager to get their message out to the world. Access is limited to approximately 50,000 people currently, however, due to both a strong firewall and to the need to register in English.