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"Mohamed Nasheed, the recently ousted president of the Maldives, has witnessed first-hand how technology and social media can organize civil society to create change and generate awareness.\nNasheed became the first democratically elected president of the country in 2008. During his two-decade-long fight for democracy, there were strict government restrictions against Internet communications. As a result, he and his followers leveraged SMS text messages to organize their underground activities.  \nSince his election, Nasheed has fought tirelessly against climate change. The Maldives, a country of 1,200 islands, will be completely submerged if the ocean level rises a few feet \u2014 becoming the first nation of environmental exiles. His story is told in a new film The Island President, which will be released in New York on Wednesday (trailer below).\n\nSEE ALSO: How Iceland Is Rebuilding Its Economy With Social Media\nNasheed resigned from the presidency amid threats of a coup d'\u00E9tat by followers of the previous ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoomi in February. Despite losing the presidency, Nasheed continues to campaign against climate change on an international stage.\nMashable's Alex Fitzpatrick and I had the opportunity to sit down with Nasheed on Tuesday to discuss the role of social media and technology in bringing change and spreading democracy in the Maldives.\nListen to Nasheed's story and let us know how you think social media can continue to play a role in the conversation about climate change and democracy. Are there other platforms yet to be pursued? Sound off in the comments.\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/03/28/maldives-social-media/>