Maggie Rake: Background
Revolutions and protests erupted throughout the Middle East in a movement now referred to as the Arab Spring. Beginning in Tunisia in December 2010, largely youth-driven demonstrations against authoritarian governments swept throughout the Middle East. Notable protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen forced leaders out of power, and uprisings that began in Syria continue today in the form of a civil war.
The start of the revolution in Tunisia was aided by social media and the Internet. Considering that the median age of Tunisians is under 30, social media, and Facebook in particular, was a powerful tool for the young and tech savvy, as well as a useful way to get around TV broadcasts and news that was often censored or heavily swayed. Photos and videos by the protesters could reach Facebook friends across the country or even the world in a matter of moments, creating a broad network of empathy and support at unprecedented speeds. This also mean that Tunisian expatriates could fuel support by sharing this easily accessible media outside of the country and the area of government control. In addition, the Internet never sleeps, so for the protests, media was circulating continuously.
Egypt’s demonstrations, particularly during the period between January 25th and February 11th, 2011 when protests forced former president Hosni Mubarak to resign, became significant partly due to youth and activists reliance on Twitter to organize and inform protesters about future actions and current events. On January 25th, the government shut off internet in Egypt, particularly in the urban centers of Cairo and Alexandria, in an effort to block the protesters. When access was restored to the people on February 2nd, the Internet was flooded with all types of media and most importantly, news that the protests were going strong.
In my research, I looked to see how the spread of these revolutions was enabled by technology, social media, and globalization. Was the Arab Spring really a “Twitter Revolution,” and if so, what are the implications for future movements?