Andy Carvin's iPhone

Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Artifacts
Date Posted: 4/4/2016

National Public Radio reporter Andy Carvin used this iPhone 3GS to monitor stories on Twitter during the Arab Spring movement in the winter of 2011. Twitter and social media became a large source of news during the movement as users on the ground in the Middle East relayed news and real-time events, and reporters like Andy strove to distill the truth from the rumors. The spread of communication technology like the iPhone allowed instantaneous mobile contact, allowing Carvin to use Twitter as a tool to create an online community of volunteers who served as sources, translators and researchers. Heavily used, the phone has a cracked screen and multiple stickers on the back.