Social Media and the Arab Spring - Essay Example

Social Media and the Arab Spring Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Instructor Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Abstract This essay discusses the projected changes in the political formation in the context of the uprising in the Arab Spring and the key role of the social media in this. The paper will vividly provide a definition and the concept of the social media as well as an explanation and analysis of the role of social media in this. Introduction 2011 witnessed a widespread of fervor across major Arab states. The uprisings were largely peaceful and unarmed. This resulted into the toppling of leaders in Egypt as well as Tunisia who were perceived by many states and even their statesmen to be dictators. A civil war preceded a string of violent protests in Libya pitching the government and rebel fighters. The rebels later overthrew the Libyan government led by a long serving president, Muammar Gaddafi in August of the same year. At this moment, there are still uprisings in Syria and Yemen that have claimed lives of many persons. Social media has been highly lauded for playing a major role in the revolutions and uprisings in the Arab Spring. Tweeter and Facebook have been perceived to have been heavily and widely used by youth and other citizens in the communication of their agenda. The paper will thus discuss the role of social media in the uprising as well as giving projection of the future of the Arab Springs (Salmon, 2010). Main Body To begin with, social media is a group applications based on the internet. These applications are based on the web 2.0 technological and ideological foundations. These applications give rise to the creation as well as exchange of content that is generated by the user. Interactive participation by the users is made possible by the Web 2.0. The content is referred to as user generated as it is available on websites that accessible by the public and social networking sites available to identifiable selected groups. The content also created with effort filled creativity and lies outside the professional practices and routines. This implies that phone texts and emails are not included in the category as they do not have the above characteristics. Additionally, social media come in different types. These include the content communities, blogs, collaborative projects, social networking as well as virtual worlds (Morozov, 2011). It is imperative to note that social media sites are widely accessible given the fact that they are mostly free. Any person can be able to create a Twitter or Facebook account as well as be able to upload YouTube movies or videos. Persons can also be able to upload information on the WordPress blog at no cost. This is pegged on the ability of the person to have an access to the internet. Despite being less available to the developing countries, it is widely accessed to developed countries as well as those countries that neighbor these states. The Arabic countries have been highly advantaged given the advent of the mobile social media. Mobile phones with the ability to access the internet are becoming not only common but perceived to be fashionable. This indicates that persons with internet enabled phones are able to access social media at any time at very minimal costs (Filiu, 2011). Social media is pegged on activism that is meaningful. This can be traced back in major recorded revolutions that were famous. These include the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott organized by Martin Luther King Junior. These activities and movements have a strong group identity as a common characteristic. The group identity enables the social media users to build ties that are strong. The building of stories on the social media websites requires little effort but goes a long way in making the followers think they are doing a meaningful thing. Social media has a strong ability to build hierarchies that are successful which have the precise and careful allocation of duties and responsibilities and a structure to that maintain a balance and aim at sustaining the bonds. This enables persons to create movements and followings that are strong and sustainable. And the fact that the messages and information can reach many persons at a fast rate, people are able to create and share ideas. Social media is a tool that is important in the creation of political revolution and social change (Hofheinz, 2011). The social media was used in the Arab spring to coordinate protests. This complements the Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz theory which suggests that political steps involve two steps which include the accessing of information, and then using the information in the to initiate debates and conversations. Social media is capable of making persons who are not motivated enough to make deliberate actions towards a perceived goal. In this century, reporting and provision of news to an audience is not only limited to journals, broadcasts and newspapers. Social media has granted persons with the access to information as it can be uploaded by anyone who has been affected by the story or who perceives it to be interesting. This story or news can be shared by many people at short intervals for as long as they are able to access the internet. Tweets are able to reach wide audiences in real time. The information is able to be accessed by different people of geographical locations that are diverse. The information is normally heard and spread by the regional to global audiences (Browers, 2006). Some would argue that social media had little to do with the Arab Spring revolution. It is argued that only a few of the social elite have and had the access to the internet in addition to effectively use it. However, this is not the case as the active ingredients of the social movements were the power behind the revolution. It also has to be realized that most of the unemployed youth were perceived to be the biggest force in the revolution as they sought to air their grievances. Other views argue that social media played a vital role in the shaping of the political arguments. Much of the activities were preceded by the messages on Tweeter and Facebook as well as the other social media networks. These played a major role in the fanning of the revolution flames. Social media has psychological impact on individuals that is immense. The positive aspect of social media is its ability to connect persons across the globe. The sites are also able to have the friends and persons stay connected and share information at incredible speed. This makes the social media a force that is able to mobilize a large and diverse community towards a certain course of action. The social media in the cases of the Arab Spring were used to galvanize support and shake the then existing regimes. People were able to use them as a platform to shape their identities and share ideologies. The fact that the social media are majorly unbiased medium of communication, it is believed to be a true democracy in itself. The medium is and was a source of relevant information that the society at that point needed to search for a course of action. The medium has the ability to influence opinions (Bhuiyan, 2011). It should be noted that the internet and the modern modes of communication have largely grown and have been widely used by a majority of the population in the 16 Arabic states. This has also gained a momentous growth as they have been supported by the authorities in these countries. There is thus no doubt that the internet is perceived and viewed to be a highly influential and a conduit for moral and political subversion. Media in most Arab states was thus in the arms of the governments and was subject to strict supervision and censorship. One of the defining features of the events of the Arab spring is the speed at which they occurred. The events and organizations of meetings especially in Egypt was highly as a result of social media networks. The networks were used as an infrastructure of organizing persons to a certain goal (Allagui, 2011). Social media will thus be a force and a tool that the Arabic activists will use to mobilize communities against mass actions. The sites will be used in the mobilization of persons with common interests. The social sites will be a common avenue through which the protesters will be able to communicate with each other and share their grievances which at a point might be common. The sites will be a mode through which the masses can amass their strength in numbers and influence a regime towards meeting their needs. The sites will be an added advantage to mobilizers to even effectively use the other traditional avenues of communication which include the use of taxi drivers in Egypt for example who are known to be very talkative. The online activities of the social network sites will thus have a big influence on the offline activities (Allagui, 2011). Additionally, social media networks are a cheap source and also an alternative for citizen journalism. This is because they have less entry barriers as compared to telecast and print broadcasts. Unless the messages are filtered before being disseminated to the intended audiences, social sites are a best mode through which ground events are reported by uploading videos as well as texts. Any person is able to report on an incident for as long as there is an access to the internet. This has been made possible as many mobile phone gadgets are being released into the market most of which have the ability to access the internet even in the most remote areas. Many of the broadcasting stations in the Arab states that experienced the uprising like the Aljazeera, highly depended on the blogs and Tweets from (Allagui, 2009). The social media is also expected to be a force through which the masses are able to gain knowledge and awareness on social, governing and political issues. The Arab world has had regimes that had most of the human rights violated. It will not be a surprise if the most persons are able to access information and know their rights as equal citizens. The Arabic regime has thus no option but to have equal rights for all people. Additionally, there is need for the equitable distribution of resources. This will ensure that all the communities have equal access to opportunities and resources. This includes the ability of all the citizens to have an equal stake of revenues that the states get from oil and other petroleum products. Other issues that are deemed to be problematic will include the equal representation of women in the governing issues of the Arabic states. It will come as no surprise if more and more women will come up and demand their rights in gender equality (Bhuiyan, 2011). Accessing information is expected to be easier and faster. This will lead to more and more debates and conversations on issues that surround the political, social and economic aspects of persons in the Arab world. This will result in the formation of political opinions. Social media in the Arab world will not only form a platform and facilitate the access to information but also a means through which the audiences are able to have mass conversations. Conversation is the primary aim of social media networks and they are or could be a pathway to trivial exchanges. A novel aspect of the social media is the ability for it to engage persons in meaningful arguments and offering debatable solutions (Filiu, 2011). In conclusion, social media played and will still be a mode through which the activists will continue amassing pressure on the government to be accountable for their activities. The sites will be continued to be used by the elite in the Arab world as a means of mobilizing persons with common interests to claim their equal share in the governing of issues in the Arab world. Social media networks play a key role in the creation of awareness and facilitating an avenue through which the community can be able to debate and converse over their interests. The sites have the ability to influence both negatively and positively depending on the target audiences. There is thus no doubt that the internet is perceived and viewed to be a highly influential and a conduit for moral and political subversion. Media in most Arab states was thus in the arms of the governments and was subject to strict supervision and censorship. References Allagui, I, 2009, Multiple Mirrors of the Arab Digital Gap. Global Media Journal 14, pp. 24-37. Allagui, I, 2011, The Arab Spring and the Role of ICTs. International Journal of Communication 5, pp. 1435-1442. Bhuiyan, S, 2011 Social Media and Its Effectiveness in the Political Reform Movement in Egypt. Middle East Media Educator 1, pp. 14-20. Browers, M, 2006. Democracy and Civil Society in Arab Political Thought. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.pp 77-90 Filiu, J, 2011, The Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising. London: Hurst & Co.pp 45-78 Hofheinz, A, 2011, Nextopia? Beyond Revolution 2.0. International Journal of Communication , Volume 5, pp. 1417-1434. Morozov, E, 2011. The Net Delusion. London : Penguin Books .pp 34-45 Salmon, 2010. Mobilizing public will across borders: roles and functions of communication processes and technologies. Journal of Borberlands studies, 25, pp. 159-170. Read More

It is imperative to note that social media sites are widely accessible given the fact that they are mostly free. Any person can be able to create a Twitter or Facebook account as well as be able to upload YouTube movies or videos. Persons can also be able to upload information on the WordPress blog at no cost. This is pegged on the ability of the person to have an access to the internet. Despite being less available to the developing countries, it is widely accessed to developed countries as well as those countries that neighbor these states.

The Arabic countries have been highly advantaged given the advent of the mobile social media. Mobile phones with the ability to access the internet are becoming not only common but perceived to be fashionable. This indicates that persons with internet enabled phones are able to access social media at any time at very minimal costs (Filiu, 2011). Social media is pegged on activism that is meaningful. This can be traced back in major recorded revolutions that were famous. These include the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott organized by Martin Luther King Junior.

These activities and movements have a strong group identity as a common characteristic. The group identity enables the social media users to build ties that are strong. The building of stories on the social media websites requires little effort but goes a long way in making the followers think they are doing a meaningful thing. Social media has a strong ability to build hierarchies that are successful which have the precise and careful allocation of duties and responsibilities and a structure to that maintain a balance and aim at sustaining the bonds.

This enables persons to create movements and followings that are strong and sustainable. And the fact that the messages and information can reach many persons at a fast rate, people are able to create and share ideas. Social media is a tool that is important in the creation of political revolution and social change (Hofheinz, 2011). The social media was used in the Arab spring to coordinate protests. This complements the Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz theory which suggests that political steps involve two steps which include the accessing of information, and then using the information in the to initiate debates and conversations.

Social media is capable of making persons who are not motivated enough to make deliberate actions towards a perceived goal. In this century, reporting and provision of news to an audience is not only limited to journals, broadcasts and newspapers. Social media has granted persons with the access to information as it can be uploaded by anyone who has been affected by the story or who perceives it to be interesting. This story or news can be shared by many people at short intervals for as long as they are able to access the internet.

Tweets are able to reach wide audiences in real time. The information is able to be accessed by different people of geographical locations that are diverse. The information is normally heard and spread by the regional to global audiences (Browers, 2006). Some would argue that social media had little to do with the Arab Spring revolution. It is argued that only a few of the social elite have and had the access to the internet in addition to effectively use it. However, this is not the case as the active ingredients of the social movements were the power behind the revolution.

It also has to be realized that most of the unemployed youth were perceived to be the biggest force in the revolution as they sought to air their grievances. Other views argue that social media played a vital role in the shaping of the political arguments. Much of the activities were preceded by the messages on Tweeter and Facebook as well as the other social media networks. These played a major role in the fanning of the revolution flames. Social media has psychological impact on individuals that is immense.

The positive aspect of social media is its ability to connect persons across the globe.

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