truth is it's more complicated than that. in fact, social media can be a two-edged sword for pro- democracy protesters. the author of "the net delusion" and we spoke with him how governments can turn social media against their opponents. >> one interesting example where a government actually went to social media web sites to learn more about protesters in iran in 2009 following the big wave of protests there. to identify anyone that they could recognize in the photos. and apparently they arrested, they claim to have arrested 40 people based on the tips they received from the public. >> journalist david kirkpatrick writes and reports about social media for "the daily beast" and he is also the author of "the facebook effect." the story that is connecting the world. david kirkpatrick joins us tonight from new york.