This is the beginning of my paper although there is no introduction here yet. I also briefly touch on some of the topics in this. I think I am going to expand on all of the ideas presented in the paragraphs.
The Arab Spring was the first revolution of its kind. Many often call the Arab Spring an internet revolution, which I believe is a very fitting name. Without the internet, I do not believe the Arab Spring would have been as successful as it was. Social media was a significant tool that helped to bring awareness about the issues that countries in the Middle East were facing. Both protestors and governments used social media to share their versions of the “truth”. Social media was central in the Arab Spring. It sparked many political debates in and out of the region. Social media allowed for the world to gain intimate exposure of the corruption occurring in many regimes. Just by logging into Facebook or Twitter, a person could experience everything happening in these countries through their screen. Technology has allowed for us to see things that we were not able to see before.
The impact of social media differed in different countries. For example, in Tunisia and Egypt, the use of social media helped to peacefully dissemble the political regimes. In a poll conducted, 9 out of 10 Egyptians and Tunisians said that they used Facebook to organize among each other. In most Arab countries, the creation of Facebook accounts was exponential. During the time, Facebook attracted thousands of new users especially in countries where uprisings were taking place. The governments of these countries did not react well to the mobilization that was occurring on Facebook. The Tunisian government blocked the websites that people used to coordinate and plan protests. The Egyptian government was more extreme in their antics. They nationally blocked Facebook and then shut the internet down for a five day period. Despite the lack of internet, the protests continued.
Many protestors across different Arab nations collaborated in order to spread awareness. After the Tunisian revolution, Egyptians creates a Facebook page called “We Are All Khaled Said”. This page was created by Egypt’s largest and most significant online human rights activist group. Most of these protestors were young people. The youthfulness of the protestors is also another reason why the Arab Spring is also considered the revolution of the youth. This Facebook page is credited with igniting and launching the Egyptian Revolution. Khaled Said was a young Egyptian man beaten to death by the Egyptian police. Within three months, the page had accumulated 25,000 followers. The revolution was able to come alive because of pages like “We Are All Khaled Said”. Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms allowed a space for young citizens to voice their complaints about the government. It allowed for people to share their voice in a way that they had not been able to before.
Another significant protestor of the Arab Spring was Facebook Girl, an Egyptian citizen named Esraa Abdel-Fattah. She organized many different protests in Egypt. Abdel-Farrah risked her life numerous times with her actions. She used Facebook to record what was happening in Egypt. For 18 days, she sent live updates and tweeted about the protests on her phone. She was one of the most important figures of the Arab Spring.
Creative Project:
I could possibly try to reach out to one of the protestors like Abdel-Farrah. Shee pretty much lives in obscurity in Egypt now and I could ask her a few questions and conduct an interview. If not, I could reach out to a less prominent person or organization. I don’t really know how to make this a creative project yet but I am thinking!
After class discussion, I think that I will make an interactive map and share information on what happened in each country.
mameforfilm.travel.blog 