Peter Simonq

CW 109C
FD3

The role of social media in political revolutions

People living in Western societies take many of the inventions of our age granted and use
them for their own conformity. Cars, fast food restaurant, phones are supposed to make our lives
easier and faster. As social media was brought to existence the lives of many became more
interconnected than ever before. For most of the users of this new technology, it means limitless
communication and endless possibilities. But for others this nationwide network is the only way
to have their voices heard and empower themselves. In the recent years the world has seen the so
called Arab Spring, during which people rebelled against their tyrannical and oppressive
governments and decided to take control of their own fates. Revolutions are not new, the way it
was fought is new. In this paper I argue that the most significant result of social media is the
liberation of Arab countries and the regaining of self determination for their societies because
without Twitter, Facebook and Youtube these revolution would have been crushed.
The role of social media in the Arab Springs is a complex situation, its importance can
either be overstated or dismissed. Social media was a channel that focused peoples frustration
and energy towards a single enemy, the state. One scholar argues: On the evidence available, it
appears that social media were additional communication tools for activists, rather than drivers
of the demonstrations themselves. (Gladwell) Twitter and YouTube are not the sources but the
mean to reach the end, to bring down the government. These platforms serve a special purpose
and that is distributing information as fast as possible to the greatest number possible. The Arab
Spring uprisings have attracted similar descriptions, as social media are used to share details
about protests and generate support for movements, in a highly hybridized media environment.
(Chadwick) In the Arab countries traditional media is controlled by the government and is used

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for propaganda purposes: In both countries [Egypt, Tunisia], the government has censored the
media, giving individuals a strong incentive to turn to the Internet. ((Howard, Philip; 6)
Therefore citizens must use other means of communication and social media becomes the
ultimate choice for such purposes. It is highly possible that without social media these
revolutionary citizen would have faced challenges that might have caused the whole movement
to break down.
Protestors used social media most effectively for distributing information to the public, to
their fellow citizens and to the world. For the first time they were able to show the true face of
their oppressive government by using the most striking feature of the new network through
videos uploaded to YouTube and could be seen by millions. The ability to inform a high number
of people in a country where the traditional media is government controlled, was also possible
due to the relatively high number of young adults in the countries. One reason why technology
has been an effective tool for democracy advocates in Tunisia and Egypt is that both countries
have relatively young, tech-savvy populations. (Howard, Philip; 5) These people have access to
the needed information via social media and are able to share it with their families and friends
who might not have access to the Internet. And as a chain reaction the information reaches
everyone who lives in the country.
Another important aspect of social media is that it not only connects people regardless of
their age, gender and physical location but it also mobilizes people and united them. Physical
barriers are removed in the cyberspace and is a perfect place for protesters to meet with each
other. It is possible to establish connection among those who have never met before. Thus the
social tensions originating from the real world can be further advanced in the virtual world. The
energy created by the social tension is organized and focused through this new type of media.

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One scholar argues: In addition to resources like a motivated citizenry and the availability of
transportation to gather in mass, a significant resource for the Egyptian revolution that was
utilized effectively was social media. (Eltantawy, Wiest; 6) He goes on: Social media
technologies represent an important instrumental resource that contributed to the birth and
sustainability of the January 25 protests. (Eltantawy, Wiest; 6) The way the new media
contributed was the ability to show what the regimes is doing to the people. Citizens could see
police and military brutality, the shutdown of protests and the general injustice. As soon as the
videos were recorded they went online, as soon as something happened it was already on Twitter.
People knew what and where was going on. To match a human face to suffering, to see the
derailed lives of many is significant in times of revolutions.
Social media was also an effective tool because in order to be online only a cellphone and
Internet connection are required. As a researcher concludes: At first glance, this new technology
appears able to provide a movement with powerful, speedy and relatively low-cost tools for
recruitment, fundraising, the distribution of information and images, collective discussions, and
mobilization for action. (Bennett) All of the aforementioned is required for a successful
revolution when people face against a state for whom money and manpower are limitless. Before
social media appeared protesters had to print pamphlets, writings and do all the required work on
paper. These activities require resources and above all money. It is also important to note that
governments has less power in the cyberspace, especially when they are not situated in a
developed economy. The governments of Arab countries do not have the adequate resources and
knowledge to monitor the Internet and disrupt the network of people who revolt against them.
These circumstances give an incentive to the citizens to turn to the cyberspace for activities that

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once took place in the real world such as organizing protest, distributing information and
collecting money.
Social media contributed to the overall successes of the Arab Spring revolutions that
sought to remove dictators and oppressive governments from power. While social media was not
the root or source of the protests and uprising, the rebels used this new media to organize and
unite people into a single power against the state. The most useful aspects of utilizing social
media were the low resources costs, mobilizing people easily, distributing information quickly
and connecting people from all over the countries. As this new virtual platform emerged, it also
empowered protesters by giving them a place where they can interact with each other without the
constant observer, the state. It is up to the people now to decide their faith but social media is still
a great tool to keep governments in check and to defend liberty and freedom.

Peter Simonq
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Bibliography
Bennett, L. 2006. Communicating Global Activism: Strength and Vulnerabilities of Networked
Politics. In Cyberprotest: New Media, Citizens and Social Movements, ed. W. van de Donk, B.
D. Loader, P. G. Nixon, and D. Rucht. London: Routledge.
Chadwick, A. (2011, August). The hybrid media system. Paper presented at the 6th European
Consortium for Political Research General Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Eltantawy, N., & Wiest, J. (2011). The Arab Spring Social Media in the Egyptian Revolution:
Reconsidering Resource Mobilization Theory. International Journal Of Communication, 5, 18.
Gladwell, M. (2011, February 2). Does Egypt need Twitter? New Yorker: News Desk. Retrieved
from http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/02/does-egypt-need-twitter.html
Howard, Philip N. and Duffy, Aiden and Freelon, Deen and Hussain, Muzammil M. and Mari,
Will and Maziad, Marwa, Opening Closed Regimes: What Was the Role of Social Media During
the Arab Spring? (2011).

Peter Simonq
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FD3

Target Grammar Application Sheet (TGAS)

Filling out this sheet will help make visible your application of the target grammar for this assignment. For each
item, write three examples from your paper that show how you applied the target grammar. Include this sheet with
your final draft.

Assignment name: Argument Essay #1

Target Grammar: Hedging, Collocations for vocabulary from the course reader.

Examples

Explanation/ details

Hedging- write four phrases in which you used

a hedging strategy from class.
It is highly possible that without social media these
revolutionary citizen would have faced challenges that

Social media was crucial for the

movement.

might have caused the whole movement to break down.

It is possible to establish connection among those who have
never met before.

There is a chance that it connected

people in a new way.

that might have caused the whole movement to break down.

There was a slight change that these
effects affect the movement negatively.
The ability to inform a high number of people in a country
where the traditional media is government controlled, was
also possible due to the relatively high number of young
adults in the countries.

Collocations- write two vocabulary

word/collocation pairs from each vocabulary
chapter. In other words, two from the list on

The high number of young adults may

have played a part in sharing
information via social media.

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page 137 and two from the list on page 155.

But for others this nationwide network is the only way to
have their voices heard and empower themselves

Nationwide network instead of

social media

For the first time they were able to show the true face of
their oppressive government by using the most striking
feature of the new network through videos uploaded to
YouTube and could be seen by millions.

Distributing information via social

media is the most striking and
beneficial feature.