Social News Sites Reporting the Arab Spring in Egypt - Essay Example

?Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the role of the social media or social news sites in reporting the Arab Spring in Egypt Introduction The Arab Spring refers to the wave of protests, civil demonstrations, civil unrest, and disturbances which has swept various countries in the Arab region from December 2010 to the present. These protests have been interpreted as the cumulative cries of people who have felt oppression from the rule of dictators in the region. Countries which have been part of this Arab Spring include Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria, including Iran, Jordan, Sudan, and minor incidents in Oman and Saudi Arabia where minor protests and civil skirmishes have been seen. Within the context of the social media, the Arab Spring has become a more significant phenomenon, especially as the social media has propelled the issues preceding the Arab Spring into the very forefront of both the national and the international political discussions. However, the social media has also engaged the political discussions towards a less truthful direction, one swayed by public opinions which are not necessarily based on facts or contextual discussions. These conflicts indicate that there are strengths and weaknesses relating to the impact and role of the social media or social news sites in reporting the Arab Spring in Egypt. As such, these conflicts will now be discussed in this paper. First, a discussion of the strengths will be presented, followed by its weaknesses. A conclusion will summarize and restate the important points for this discussion. Body The social media has taken on a life on its own, especially in recent years with the entry of Facebook and Twitter into the electronic fray. The easy accessibility of electronic devices as well as the affordability and widespread use of the internet has also spurred the social media phenomenon into even greater heights and greater power. The momentum of social changes has now shifted from the political leaders to the general public who have discovered their power to bring down governments, political personalities, and other influential individuals with a simple click of their mouse. On the other side of the social media spectrum is the fact that the social media has become a rabid and non-contextual social tool which has taken on a dangerous life all on its own. Inasmuch as its strengths for the purposes of public welfare have become apparent, its weaknesses also represent the fickleness of a public eager to point any finger on perceived political failures. Strengths In the case of Egypt, protests started on the 25th of January 2011 and went on for 18 days (Aday, et.al., 2012). During such time, the protesters were spurred on by encouraging posts from the social media, not just from local users, but from different parts of the globe as well. Some of these encouraging posts were seen in the Facebook page Kullena Khaled Said allowed anonymous posts about the Egypt unrest from any interested individual anywhere across the globe (Scott, 2013). At one point, the government sought to curtail the internet use in the country in order to control the protests and limit the impact of the social media (Aday, et.al., 2012). This attempt proved to be unsuccessful and eventually the protests would result to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak who was a political power in the country for close to 30 years. In the above case, the social media was a vital cog in the Egyptian movement, and it was also further pushed further by the new generation of technology-savvy Egyptians (Chebib and Sohail, 2011). Facebook pages like “We are all Khalid Said” represented groups of individuals who were united in their cause and sentiments against the violence and oppression from the Egyptian government (Eltanwany and Wiest, 2011). These protestors were also widespread and active internet users, especially of the social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, allowing for the coordination of their activities. Facebook and Twitter helped the protesters anticipate when and where future demonstrations were to be held. The government also saw the social media as a significant threat to their political authority and control (Chebib and Sohail, 2011). The Egyptian revolution is considered one of the shortest revolutions to ever unfold. Reflecting on the speed of the internet, the revolution also reached a cyberspace-level speed. In the present age of the internet, tasks which used to take years to carry out have now become possible in a few short weeks. Chebib and Sohail (2011) also discuss that through social media sites, reporters were able to easily locate contacts, respond to incidents live, as well as carry out discussions with other journalists on site. Ideas were also shared and disseminated faster and more densely through the shared social media venue (Faris, 2012). In other words, the social media became a convenient resource in empowering the regular citizens in the expression of their grievances against their perceived oppressors. At some point, posts worded similar to the following lines flooded the social media: “So this is what the protests in Egypt looks like (picture)...I’m with you Egypt, this day is yours...If you are a free citizen anywhere in the world, Support Freedom for Egypt today” (Al Jazeera, 2011). The social media facilitated the Egyptian Revolution because of its accessibility (Storck, 2011). This accessibility is based on the fact that there are limited barriers to social media use. It is free and requires no licence. Most Egyptians, especially the younger and socially active users were able to maximize the accessibility of the social media and eventually push their desire for change (Storck, 2011). In other words, the social media allowed for the democratic application of influence and control, taking such power from the government and shifting it to the people. The activists were also able to gain support, communicate with other individuals sharing their sentiments, and spread information to as many individuals as possible (Storck, 2011). Some posts like those posted in the thread below express significant opinions from the people of Egypt. Aside from low barriers to access, the social media also presents with limited communication barriers. In general, there is limited censorship for the social media and anyone, even those who have limited social skills can use it. The social media has been an important tool in managing the issues in communication which prevent the spread of information (Chebib and Sohail, 2011). Codes of behaviour were also bypassed, allowing debates to be carried out among strangers, friends, acquaintances, from all parts of the globe (Scott, 2012). As such, the issues in Egypt were brought to the judgment of the social media, and the images seen were certainly distressing enough to earn the ire of the outraged public. Some of these images are posted below: The social media is also easy to use especially as connecting to family and friends has become faster and more convenient (Scott, 2012). The social media does not require instruction manuals before use, especially as the internet and computers have now become more user-friendly. The contents of the social media are also pleasing to the users, and are sensitive to the context of the user, including gender and ethnicity (Chebib and Sohail, 2011). Users can easily establish their groups and then meet those who share their interests and opinions. This can be seen through the Facebook group “We are all Khaled Said.” This group was in honour of a young man slain by police officers after he refused to give them money. Said was said to have posted online revealing pictures of the police officers taking drug money; and he was beaten up and killed primarily for said acts, not for what the officers claimed as Said’s drug activities (Eltantawy and Wiest, 2011). Said then became a symbol for the Egyptian people’s outrage against the government. Events and activities can also be posted and as many users can be invited to join; moreover reminders for these events are also posted, ensuring maximum attendance (Shaaban, 2011). The January 25, 2011, Revolution Day was actually scheduled and posted through Facebook in order to spread the word immediately among the people. From the Facebook events page for the revolution, 85,000 pledged their support and attendance to the demonstration (Hauslohner, 2011). Real-time updates of the Revolution Day and other events were also made possible through the social media. Word-of-mouth has taken on a new meaning for the social media in the Egyptian revolution especially as internet users were able to invite other users who shared similar opinions to attend gatherings, demonstrations, and similar activities (Hauslohner, 2011). The social media has also become accessible through the mobile phones, thereby allowing even greater access and mobility for users. In the Egypt protests, the Tahrir Square was filled with protestors holding mobile phones, cameras, and other hand-held devices (Chebib and Sohail, 2011). Even when some social media sites were blocked, others, like YouTube, Fillker and Hi5 were still available (Mansour, 2012). Live recordings of the protests were then uploaded to the social media and later to the judgment of the global community. Weaknesses The Egyptian activists like Wael Ghonim themselves declare that they reject the perception that the social media was the driver for their revolution (Vargas, 2012). Since the social media had a major role to play in the Egyptian revolution, the natural thought process was that the revolution would not have been successful without the social media (El Nazer, 2011). This was considered one of the weaknesses of the social media in the Egyptian revolution. Instead, the activists declared that the revolution became successful because of grassroots organizing. They also cite that during the crucial days of the revolution, internet use was blocked by the Mubarak regime, and yet the revolution still proved successful (El Nazer, 2011). Still, because of the significant pulling weight of the social media, its perceived impact on the success of the Egyptian revolution could not be discounted or minimized in the minds of the people. As a result, the actual efforts and the actual events which finally led to the toppling of the Mubarak regime have not been adequately given credit by the people (El Nazer, 2011). The social media has also become westernised in its views and convictions, and such convictions have been used by the Egyptian activists to represent their ideals without understanding the local context of their adopted ideals. As analysed by social experts, the current age of globalized television has allowed most people of the world to view how others live their lives (Ahmed, 2012). These perceptions seem to have triggered liberal and westernized ideals from the Muslims, especially those under dictatorial rule (Ahmed, 2012). It is therefore difficult to assess whether the opinions of the Egyptian activists have been fuelled by western perceptions of democracy or by a genuine desire for government reform (Seib, 2012). The utilization of the social media has also been considered to serve the purposes of the government authorities, especially in gathering information and intelligence. The government has also the appropriate tools to follow the social media in order to eliminate materials subversive to its ends (Iskander, 2012). The government used data from user’s accounts and gathered intelligence on these users, charging them later for treasonous activities against the government (Reuters 2013). As was seen in the Egypt, the government was able to ban the use of the social media and limit its use during the days of the revolution. Even as the blocking had its limited efficacy, the fact that the government could limit the internet use indicated the amount of power they still had over technical resources of the social media (Iskander, 2012). The social media has also been used by the government to follow the movements of protesters, and mobilize police forces to these areas before the protesters even assemble in these areas (Guardian, 2013). In some ways, the social media was also be used by the government as evidence against social activist bloggers as arrests of these activists were carried out (BBC, 2011). This was seen in the cases of various blogger activists like Alaa Abdel Fattah, Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith, Mohamed Taham Jamal, Ahmed Abdul Khaleq, Hassan Ali al-Khamis, and Tal al-Mallohi who was arrested in Syria (Social Eyez Blog, 2013). These activists were active in the social media especially in the days leading up to and during the Egyptian revolution itself. At most, their blogs were considered subversive by the government; hence, their arrests. Conclusion In general therefore, the social media was a powerful tool during the Egyptian Revolution. The social media during the Egyptian revolution manifested various strengths and weaknesses. It sped up the revolution due to its easy and cheap accessibility. It allowed demonstrators to easily gather at a designated time and place in order to stage protests. The social media also shifted the momentum of political control to the people, allowing the people to express their grievances against the government without fear of government censure. On the other hand, the social media also took credit for the success of the revolution, taking away the focus on the efforts of revolutionary activists working within the grassroots level. The social media was also used as a tool by the government to anticipate the movements of the demonstrators and also to apprehend activists. The western concepts also coloured the desires of the Egyptian activists, blurring western ideals with their own contextualized ideals. Regardless of the negative impact of the social media on the Egyptian revolution however, the positive effects remain dominant, especially as the Egyptian revolution has now been labelled as the Facebook Revolution. Credit has to be given however to the desire of the people to be free from the dictatorial rule of Mubarak; this desire drove the fires of the revolution, and the social media became one of the tools which facilitated the process. References Aday, S., Farrell, H., Lynch, M., Sides, J., et.al., 2012. New media and conflict after the Arab Spring. United States Institute of Peace [online]. Available at: http://www.usip.org/files/resources/PW80.pdf [Accessed 11 April 2013]. Ahmed, H., 2012. The Arab Spring, the West and Political Islam [online]. Available at: http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/3492 [Accessed 11 April 2013]. Al Jazeera, 2011. Egyptian military jails activist [online]. Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/03/20113301027809803.html [Accessed 11 April 2013]. BBC, 2011. Egypt protests: Anti-Mubarak demonstrators arrested [online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12289475 [Accessed 10 April 2013]. Chebib, N. and Sohail, R., 2011. 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