Egypt and the Social Media Revolution

As I'm sure many of you are aware, Egypt has been in a state of full fledged revolution the last few weeks and social media has been at the forefront of that revolution. Back in 2009 the world saw a similar social media effect when it came time for Iran's elections. During these elections, Twitter played a key role in not only promoting a revolution but also keeping the rest of the world informed as to what was truly going on. This was a case of freedom of speech and word-of-mouth at its finest. Throughout the Iranian campaign mass media took a back seat and information was spread not through CNN  or The New York Times but through individuals facing the difficulties in Iran first hand--through 140 characters or less. Despite the government restricting mass media, social networkings sites including Twitter and YouTube stepped up to the plate, providing the Iranian people with a format for their voices to be heard, providing them a way to revolutionize their country. At the time the world did not look to the news as their primary source of information, instead they turned to social networking sites and YouTube, proving that a tweet of a first hand account is more valuable than a news reporters outsiders point of view. Now in 2011 we see a similar thing happening with Egypt.

The people of Egypt have harnessed the influence of both Twitter and Facebook to help overthrow the government. While revolutions can occur and have occurred without the assistance of social media, it is now clear that in the 21st century, having a following and a voice on the web is just as crucial as having a following and a voice in "real life." Once again, through the use of social media, the people of Egypt were able to unite in a way that may not have been possible without the help of the Internet. Furthermore, through social media, the world has been able to keep up with the political happenings in real time and on a more personal level. Social media has provided a voice for the voiceless. Now anyone can speak their mind, now anyone has an opportunity to change their world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/06/17/DI2009061702232.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20110211/ts_yblog_thecutline/social-media-plays-role-in-egypt-some-expected-in-iran