But the past five years have shown that liberty isnt the only. Furthermore, carvin recognized that true credibility in the online arena is earned over time, and the. Social media and the politics of reportage explores the journalistic challenges, issues and opportunities that have risen as a result of social media increasingly being used as a form of crisis reporting within the field of global journalism, with a. Foundations for the decline of terrorism analyzes the role of social media in the arab spring within a specific philosophical framework. The future of the arab spring examines the spirit of civic entrepreneurship that brought once untouchable dictators to their knees and continues to shape the regions political, artistic, and technology sectors. Social media and the politics of reportage the arab. Part memoir, part history, the book includes intimate stories of the revolutionaries who fought for freedom on the streets and across the internet stories that would have never been recorded. This book looks into the role played by mediated communication, particularly new and social media, in shaping various forms of struggles around power, identity and religion at a time when the arab world is going through an unprecedented period of turmoil and upheaval. The article presents two broad theoretical principles. Six years later, little remains of the hopes that the west saw in the arab spring.
The aim of this chapter is to examine the use of the social media by the bahraini antigovernment movement since the outbreak of the arab spring in bahrain in 2011 till the present day. Feb 25, 2011 social media has certainly played a part in the arab spring revolutions but its impact is often exaggerated on the inside. The role of social media in the arab spring, a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests in the middle east and north africa between 2010 and 2012, remains a highly debated subject. Arab spring protests in bahrain these citizen journalist news networks using social media to disseminate their information raise the question of credibility as reliable sources for the international media. Kantian cosmopolitanism, enhanced by social media and internet communications technologies, offers a solid explanation of the political evolution of the arab spring. Pdf the middle east and north africa mena have long been laden with tensions and instabilities. Andy carvin, nprs social media maven who through a single twitter account his own managed to produce superior coverage of the arab revolutions than any of the mainstream media outlets, aptly noted that social media is more about narratives than isolated content. In the aftermath of the successful attempt to topple egypts regime and the other events of the arab spring, spurred by protesters using social media, there is an air of optimism surrounding the power of social media and web 2. Social media and the politics of reportage explores the journalistic challenges, issues and opportunities that have risen as a result of social media increasingly being used as a form of crisis reporting within the field of global journalism, with a focus on the protests during the arab spring. Egypt, libya, jordan, yemen, and tunisia, along with additional examples. It concerns the us government role in instigating, funding and coordinating the arab spring revolutions.
The cases of egypt and tunisia bjorn schubert bachelor thesis politics international politics region. Discuss the impact of social media during the arab spring 1. Precisely, social media platforms such as facebook, youtube, and twitter offered comprehensive platforms where populations in support of the arab spring could share their resentments. Description in late of 2010 and during 2011, the arab countries saw a series of large scale political uprisings. The arab spring is a revolutionary movement in north africa and the middle east, which began in december 2010 with the tunisian revolution before spreading to other arab countries, such as egypt, syria, and libya, amongst others. Yet, simultaneously, both traditional and social media cite the absence of gendered revolution or genderbased social change. In arab countries, many activists who played crucial roles in the arab spring used social networking as a key tool in expressing their thoughts concerning unjust acts committed by the government. Facebook, twitter, youtube, and other forms of social media have played a major role in the planning, acceleration, and even the preparation of some of the uprisings and revolutions that too place in the middle east at this time. From the toppling of the autocratic governments of tunisia and egypt to the unrests in bahrain, yemen and syria, the social media has acted as an. Mar 22, 2018 this article was first crossposted on gr in october 2015. Social media and arab spring in the wake of the arab spring, much attention has been focused on the concept of democracy and collective activism, which continues to. Enquete sur le role des etatsunis dans les revoltes arabes investigation into the us role in the arab uprisings is an update of ahmed bensaadas 2011 book larabesque americaine.
While the uprising in tunisia led to some improvements in the country from a humanrights perspective, not all of the nations that witnessed such social and political. Twitter and tear gas is a book that, superimposed on a seemingly familiar landscape, utterly transforms the view. Instead, that spring has given way to a winter of economic stagnation and political violence that has plunged syria, libya and yemen into bloody civil war, has led to widespread unrest in egypt, iraq and bahrain, and threatens to destabilize arab governments from morocco to saudi arabia. Arab spring modernity, identity and change eid mohamed. One of the briefs was on the use of social media overseas. Social media in the arab world provides a unique insight into the role of online communications as a force for change in the gulf states. Arab spring scholarship, with a particular focus on the significant impact of social media on events in egypt in early 2011. How an egyptian revolution began on facebook the new york times. The arab spring unleashed forces of liberation and social justice that swept across north africa and the middle east with unprecedented speed, ferocity, and excitement. Digital media and the arab spring oxford scholarship. Uprisings occurred in states regardless of their levels of internet usage, with some states with high levels of internet usage such as bahrain, with 88% of its population online in 2011. The arab spring, the set of upheavals and protest events across the middle east and. In egypt, protests and strikes began on january 25, 2011.
The argument we are making here is that political change such as the initial protests associated with the arab spring leads to changes in the use of the social media e. The tumult of the arab spring also showed autocratic governmentsand the rest of the worldthat millions of people living in islamic nations believe in free expression and democratic governance. The arab spring carried the promise that social media and the internet were going to unleash a new wave of positive social change. Jun 19, 20 social constructivism can explain this as the proliferation of democratic norms, largely brought about through media technologies and social networks interactions, often labeled as the concept of globalization, which led the youth in the middle east to become the main agent and force of change during the arab spring. The arab spring social media in the egyptian revolution. The book asks why the penetration rate for social media differs in different.
Egypt was disconnected from the outside world for days and yet the. Sean okeefe, author of the once popular but now inactive blog revolutionary arab rap, offers his perspectives on arabic hiphop music in terms of its history, development, media coverage, and. May 20, 2019 yet, despite design flaws, path dependence as a social science concept could prove a useful analytical tool in cases such as jordan, egypt, and tunisia, as cases in which the arab spring as an event has produced variable results regarding the process of democratisation. Acknowledgement of the role of social media during the arab spring. What is the role of social media on fundamental change in arab countries in the middle east and north africa. In this landmark book, hamid dabashi argues that the revolutionary uprisings that have engulfed multiple countries and political climes from morocco to iran and from syria to yemen, are driven by a delayed defiance a point of rebellion against domestic tyranny and globalized. The two main arguments on the role of electronic media are firstly,to consider the digital media as a cause of the arab spring, while the other sees these tools as a vehicle to communicate with. The world watched as activists used social media to organize protests during the arab spring, occupy wall street, and hong kongs umbrella revolution. International focus on the arab world has increased during the arab spring, and recognition of individual womens involvement in the conflicts and demonstrations has risen khamis, 2011. This book was written before the events of the arab spring of 201 1. The role of social media in the arab uprisings past and present. The book asks why the penetration rate for social media differs in different countries. The event set off uprisings across north africa and the. This article will discuss about the impact of social media as the main source of.
We argue that hope for a new political, economic, and social contract is both the foundation for, and the result of, this spiral of voice. New internationalist world development book case study. Social media and the politics of reportage the arab spring. The arab spring in egypt religious literacy project. The arab spring uprisings are the first collective movements of their kind in the middle east after the internet and social media revolutions of the late 20 th early 21 st centuries, and tactics, techniques and procedures utilized by resistance populations during the arab spring may affect future movements.
Social media and the arab spring in 2011, the world witnessed unprecedented events that unfolded in the middle east and north africa that resulted to the overthrowing of the despotic arab regimes. Since the first wave of arab spring revolution swept across parts of the middle east and northern africa more than a year ago, it has been increasingly debated whether or how much social media tools played an instrumental role in that. Lentissocial media and the arab spring wikibooks, open. Social media and social movement theory social movement theory provides the lenses needed to assess how social media affected the arab spring. In egypt, protests and strikes began on january 25, 2011 national police day and lasted for 18. Social media and the arab spring 1447 words bartleby. A year of revolution a year ago, a tunisian fruitseller set himself on fire after being humiliated by a police officer. Michael billig defines a social movement as a collective, organized, sustained, and inherently noninstitutional challenge to authority. Existing literature in this area centers on the ability of various social media platforms to unite and inspire population masses, yet does not address the important effect of social media on military forces responding.
The role played by the arab mass media in the arab spring is recognized by a lot of analysts. In this book, npr social media chief andy carvin the man who tweets revolutions offers a unique firstperson recap of the arab spring. Social media made the arab spring, but couldnt save it. Social media and the arab spring 1455 words bartleby. Worth noting is the fact that social media played a comprehensive role in enhancing the success of the arab spring plattner et al.
Social media played a significant role facilitating communication and interaction among participants of political protests. This chapter will trace the uses of social media in the arab spring, and the ways in which people have been using them to generate this spiral of voice. This article was first crossposted on gr in october 2015. The goal of this article is to place the role that social media plays in collective action within a more general theoretical structure, using the events of the arab spring as a case study. Aljazeera and alarabia were the important television. In this landmark book, hamid dabashi argues that the revolutionary uprisings that have engulfed multiple countries and political climes from morocco to iran and from syria to yemen, were driven by a delayed defiance a point of rebellion against domestic tyranny and. Zulkuf aydin sep 2015, 108 pages arab spring is a political concept that spread widely in the media and academic art publications. Arab spring, in modern north african and middle eastern history, antigovernment demonstrations and uprisings that, from late 2010, swept many of the regions arab nations. Reconsidering resource mobilization theory this article seeks to open dialogue about the utility of resource mobilization theory in explaining social movements and their impact by exploring the use of social media in the 2011 egyptian revolution through a limited case study analysis. Egypt this guide lists online and print sources for what has become known as the arab spring, the popular revolutionary wave in the middle east and north africa that started in december 2010.
Did digital media really cause the arab spring, or is it an important factor of the story behind what might become democracys fourth wave. Through interviews with some of the regions leading civic entrepreneurs, including political activists, artists, and technologists. This paper aims to demonstrate why the role of social media in the arab spring cannot be disregarded. Social media and the arab spring april 23, 2018 may 1, 2018 over the horizon 3 comments arab spring, egypt, human domain, mena, middle east, protests, social media, tunisia the power of social media is that it allows people to experience current events on a personal level at a speed never before possible. The arab spring refers to a period of protests beginning on december 18, 2010 in tunisia, which quickly spread to numerous other arab nations and resulted in regime change in tunisia, libya, egypt, and yemen, and repression andor violence in syria, bahrain, sudan, and elsewhere. The gaddafi archives libya before the arab spring view gallery an exhibition of photographs, documents and artefacts from the human rights watch archive paints a portrait of libya in the four decades prior to the arab spring. This pioneering explanation of the arab spring will define a new era of thinking about the middle east.
Protesters used social media to organize demonstrations both pro and antigovernmental, disseminate information about their activities, and raise local. This pioneering elucidation of the arab spring will define a new era of thinking about the middle east. Pdf the role of social media in the syrian uprising. An unlikely network of citizens used digital media to start a cascade of social protest that ultimately toppled four of the worlds most entrenched dictators. Many governmental and community organizations changed their mission and function as they adopted new digital tools and practices.
This book provides systematic, integrated analyses of emergent social and cultural dynamics in the wake of the socalled arab spring, and looks closely at the narratives and experiences of a people as they confront crisis during a critical moment of transition. Yes it was thanks to social networks that these news stories went viral online for millions of people to read and share with each other setting thus the. Mediated identities and new journalism in the arab world. Feb 19, 2012 in the embryonic, ever evolving era of social media when milestones come by the day, if not by the second june 8, 2010, has secured a rightful place in history. Social media tapped into by the traditional press, galvanized the arab spring and generated international support and awareness. In saying that its role cannot be disregarded, this paper does not argue that social media caused the arab spring but was an essential tool. Social media and politics and the arab spring moment iemed. Politics comes first gadi wolfsfeld 1, elad segev2, and tamir sheafer3 abstract the goal of this article is to place the role that social media plays in collective action within a more general theoretical structure, using the events of. Social media, arab spring, egypt, convergence, blogosphere. Case studies of tunisia and egypt abdulsattar, tammam omer msc. Featuring examples as diverse as neopatrimonial politics in saudi arabia and the ways an online presence affects the status of women in kuwait, the chapters examine shifts in the political, social and. Politics comes first gadi wolfsfeld 1, elad segev2, and tamir sheafer3 abstract the goal of this article is to place the role that social media plays in collective action within a more general theoretical structure, using the events of the arab spring as a case study. Social media and the arab spring small wars journal.
Washington post the author is also insightful on how governments and politicians are moving from censorship, no easy task on social media, to attentiongrabbing and misinformation. This report investigates the impact of social media upon social unrest during the arab spring and is designed to test the common hypothesis that facebook, twitter and other social media outlets had a significant impact on the outbreak of protests in the mena region. From arab spring to global revolution in an excerpt from his book why its still kicking off everywhere, paul mason argues that a global protest movement, based on social networks, is here to stay. May 29, 2012 however and perhaps unfortunately the arab spring, since its inception, is increasingly being debated within the context of how the united states can help, shape or expedite it and how u. According to the data from the arab social media report 2011 by mourtada and salem, the amount social media usage increased immensely during the arab spring period from january 1 to march 30. Social media was effective in awakening the arab people and giving them the power to fight against repressive regimes in their drive for greater freedom and independence. Social media have served as an outlet for social movement to propagate ideas, mobilize members for collective action and coordinate activism. Not long ago i sat in on a briefing of foreign military officers. This book provides systematic, integrated analyses of emergent social and cultural dynamics in the wake of the socalled arab spring rooted in the interdisciplinary frameworks offered by political science, cultural studies, media and film studies, middle eastern studies, and political theory. There has been much analysis of the causes and rapid spread of the 2011 arab spring or arab uprisings. A second contribution is related more to the novel insights provided by the cross. Social media and the arab spring morocco world news. Financial pressures top every list of catalysts and causes of the arab spring, espeeially when cormption at the hands of the mling and social elite is added. Internet social media and websites, and mobile phones all of which played a role in many nations.
The impact of social media on social unrest in the arab. Social media in the arab world by barrie gunter overdrive. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter. The number of facebook users in the arab nations had almost doubled, up from 14,791,972 as of april 2010 to 27,711,503 as of april 2011 mourtada and salem 9. While the uprising in tunisia led to some improvements in the country from a humanrights perspective, not all of. Marking a new phase in arab media history, the aljazeera turning point was characterized by a number of novel aspects. In the embryonic, ever evolving era of social media when milestones come by the day, if not by the second june 8, 2010, has secured a rightful place in.
Although the future of the democratic uprisings against oppressive authoritarian regimes remains uncertain in many places, the revolutionary wave that started in tunisia in. The influence of the social media came to display during the arab spring, allowing crowd sourcing, coordination of largescale protests, scheduling demonstrations through facebook messages and globally. The scientific landscape is also divided over the importance of social media during the arab spring. Social media and the politics of reportage the arab spring s. This paper will discuss the causes of the arab spring and how social media played a role in the middle east before the start of the revolutions in 2011. I used a lot of facebook, but only in the contexts of arab spring fgd. Pdf the role of social media in the arab uprisings past and.
The number of facebook users in the arab nations had almost doubled, up from 14,791,972 as of april 2010 to 27,711,503 as of april 2011 mourtada and. Social media and the politics of reportage explores the journalistic challenges. What the arab spring tells us about the future of social. Social media came to be used to generate awareness campaigns of many types, by individuals, organizations, movements, and even governments. The influence of social media on political activism during the arab spring has, however, been much debated. The transnational effects of social media in the arab spring. Africa publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay.
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