The Effect of Social Media on Arab Spring - Research Proposal Example

The Effect of Social Media on Arab Spring Social media tools have revolutionized the world to the extent that nothing can exist in isolation. This paper sets out to portray the immense impact and effects that social media bear in the global society. In a special way, the discussion highlights the Egyptian and Tunisian episodes of the Arab Spring. Introduction Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and MySpace have a profound effect on culture and community. Social media tools are powerful and bear enormous potential in generating awareness, as well as inspiring action at a global stage. Social media technologies envelop all spheres of people’s lives; individuals are not immune to the impacts of social media nor are governments. Social media diffuse social, economic, political, and cultural barriers within the society (Qualman 8). The speedy propagation and adoption of technology has fueled the use of social media as a tool for activism. The Arab Spring in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria, and Yemen demonstrate this potential. During the Arab Spring, social media played a critical role in spreading information and unifying the protesters. Discussion Social media can be defined as online media content created and shared by individuals on the cyberspace using freely and easily accessible websites. The websites employ interfaces that enable people to generate and post images, videos, as well as chat and text information. The created information can be shared with a select group of friends or the entire public domain. Social media incorporate blogs, wikis, forums, content communities, micro blogs, social networking sites, and podcasts. Social media detail characteristics such as participation, whereby individuals make contributions and receive feedback from the target groups. Similarly, it also incorporates openness, whereby social media encourage participation and feedback from all through voting, commenting, and sharing of information. Thirdly, it involves conversation, whereby social media is two-way contrasting broadcast oriented traditional media. The community aspect arises from allowing people to mutually share universal interests such as art and politics. Lastly, social media enhance connectedness by linking people, sites, locations, and resources. To a large extent, social media enhance democratization of information; transforming users from content readers to content publishers (Al-Deen & Hendricks 205). Effects of Social Media on Culture and Community Social media effects can be classified into behavioural, attitudinal, cognitive, and emotional. Social media play a key role in the learning and social development of people, especially among the youth. The youth uses the social media in peer based learning and socialization. Social media provide an effective platform to navigate modern means of expressions and rules for social behaviour. Social media shape the opinions, beliefs, and values of the subjects. Social media have radically transformed the elementary and wide ranging aspects of society especially on how people relate to each other (Woolgar 2). Similarly, it has revolutionized the structures of flow of information in the society. Thus, people have a cheap and easy access to information when making choices. Social media provide an avenue to the society in terms of self representation and identity. Social media facilitate social interactions between the masses as well as constructing ties between people in the society. Social media, such as Facebook, provide a virtual space where users can endorse identities for their friends, acquaintances, and the general public. Social media avail the masses with a chance to communicate in a purposeful and meaningful way. Social media have registered some effects on how people behave, organize, and interact with each other. Universally, social media have affected aspects such as social control, participation, inclusion and exclusion, cohesion, identity, and trust (Woolgar 6). How People Use Social Media Social media have provided an unprecedented connectivity to people, hence enabling them to make friends and remain connected with their counterparts. Social media enable people with similar interests to communicate with each other regardless of their eventful lives. This aids in enhancing the quality of life. Social media have also transformed the speed of the news cycle. Most news organizations employ social media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to collect and share information; therefore, people are now able to catch trendy topics in the social media. Political Activism and Participation in Social Media Social media play a critical role in modern politics. The viral influence of social media enables speedy communication of causes. Protesters utilize social media to meet as well as plan their cause online (Aaker, Smith & Adler 108). The Arab Spring mirrors the civic engagement aspect of social media. The protesters utilized social media to amplify popular dissent within the masses and drive change within the society. The social media based tools made their campaigns more visible to the world, thus, drawing support to their cause. The Arab Spring The Arab Spring can be traced to people’s uprising in the streets of Tunis. The people were protesting against corrupt and authoritarian government as well as government’s inability to deal with sky rocketing food prices and high unemployment rates. Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution used social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter as communication tools. Social media based tools enabled the protesters to organize the protests. Social media tools enhance user-generated content to reach multiple people through social networking (Burke 1). Similarly, Egypt’s uprising featured heavy use of social media in achieving its end. The rising socio-economic constraints in 2008 sparked the protests. However, in 2010 the uprising took a decisive step with the killing of Khalid Said by the regime. This sparked wide outrage within the social media and ultimately propelled dissent out of control. Egyptians demanded an end to the emergency law, increase of minimum wages and government subsidy on basic necessities. The Egyptian protesters used social networking sites such as Facebook to mobilize support to the masses on the streets. The creation of a Facebook page titled “We are all Khalid Said,” increased agitation for an end to the regime. The weak political participation within the conventional places precipitated the shift from socio-economic to political demands. Thus, Egyptians relocated their vibrant social discourse into virtual space. The threat posed by social media in the revolution compelled the prevailing Egyptian government to shut down the nation’s internet as well as disable wireless phone services. The authorities aimed at curtailing the momentum of the protests, which were largely peaceful. Nevertheless, the prolonged public demonstrations in Egyptian cities such as Cairo and Alexandria forced the stepping down of Hosni Mubarak as president. Social media provided an uncensored platform on which the protesters could exchange information on events as well as sharing the happenings with the rest of the world. The social media also gave the protesters a convenient tool to document the events through regular updates (Pernisco 2). Impact and Effect of Social Media on Global Society: Social Media as a Tool for Bringing about Change Burke demonstrated that the use of social media has availed an unprecedented tool for effecting social change (Burke 3). Social media nourishes dialogue in personal, civic, and political affairs, thus propelling social change. The calls for change in Egypt’s political, social, and economic affairs echoed around the world, resulting to a widespread appeal and sympathetic endorsement internationally. This demonstrates the enormous potential that social media possess. Social media based tools grant the people an opportunity to propagate their ideas. They also enhance pluralism within political debates denying the conventional media sources a chance for an absolute control on information channels (Pernisco 4). Thus, social media highlights ideas and issues that the mainstream media might overlook. The role that social media played in the Arab Spring has been a topical discussion among scholars, analysts, and panelist. People widely acclaim the significance of social media in bringing about change. Conclusion Social media tools and practices have contributed immensely to productive changes within the public discourse. Social media have broadened the conversation on topical issues in the society implanting them on the national consciousness. In addition, social media have diffused socio-economic barriers by enabling all to overcome the gaps. However, the widening digital divide among the population constraint the march towards full utilization of social media. As demonstrated, digital activism tools catalyzed much of Arab Spring and brought about change in those countries. Social media based tools systematized, sustained, and drove revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. The exploitation of Facebook, Twitter, and mobile phone technology inter alia fueled a broad political expression of dissidence within both real and virtual spaces (online and off-line). Social media tools are essential in instigating advocacy and empowerment. The adoption of social media boosts prospects for political participation and unlocks fresh spaces for active citizenship. Nowadays, people have command in their hands; with a stroke or touch on a button, people can transform their socio-political landscape for the better. Nowadays, social media have met the broad spectrum of politics, and the two are indispensable from each other. The old and controlled method of information broadcasting has lost its appeal. Social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube have phenomenal influence on aspects such as political campaigns. In contemporary society, people are no longer inactive consumers of information but lively contributors in the creation and consumption of content and information. For instance, Cable News Network (CNN) introduced a new form of reporting referred to as I-Reports. The new mode of popular journalism permits people to contribute using social media, to breaking news stories with pictures, videos, as well as commentary from any location in the globe. Works Cited Aaker, Jennifer, Andy Smith and Carlye Adler. The Dragon Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways to use Social Media to Drive Social Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Print. Al-Deen, Noor, & Hendricks. “Social Media: Usage and Impact”. Modern Communication Jan. 2012: 200-206. Print. Burke, Whitney. “Media, Youth Activism & Participatory Politics: Case Studies in a Digital Age”. Digital media and Learning Nov. 2011: 1-6. Print. Pernisco, Nick. “Social Media: Impacts and Implications on Society.” Student Journal for Media Literacy Education 1(1) Apr. 2010: 1-17. Print. Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way we live and do Business. New Jersey: John Wiley& Sons, 2011. Print. Woolgar, Steve. Virtual Society? : Technology, Cyberbole, Reality. Oxford: Oxford U.P., 2009. Print. Read More