‘Social Media Revolution’ – Not Just Hyperbole

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Events in Egypt are testament to the power and reach of social media

Years ago, when social media was just an option and not an integrated aspect of our social and professional lives, the phrase ‘social media revolution’ was bandied about quite a bit.

Tick Yes has long argued that social media would become a primary method of communication in all facets of society, becoming an integral part of traditional media, marketing and government institutions.

Now, though, it has become apparent that social media can play a significant part in mobilising actual, political revolutions. Real change, real power, real people and real politics, all fuelled by the unifying and organising power of social media.

The current situation in Egypt is proof of that. President Hosni Mubarek, who has been in office longer than Mark Zuckerberg’s been alive, is facing an unprecedented revolt by the majority of his people, who are eager to reclaim basic human rights and champion democracy.

Social media fuels the fire

Fuelled by reports – many of which filtered through social media – of a similar successful uprising in nearby Tunisia that led to president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fleeing the country, the people of Egypt were able to mobilise large-scale protests and campaigns to fight for a more democratic future.

Let’s not pretend this was all noble, righteous protest – there has been blood spilled by both sides of the argument and no doubt social media has played a part in this, too. The fact remains, however, that in a country where democracy has been put in jeopardy, the great leveller and democratic forum that is social media is fuelling its revival.

The sheer fact that Mubarek was compelled to ‘turn off’ the Internet in Egypt is testament to its incredible power and reach. Like the introduction of the printing press before it, the Internet made available some very powerful information to people who could otherwise be kept quiet by lack of knowledge. Yet not even that has stopped the surge, with a service called Speak2Tweet being launched whereby protesters could phone in tweets and make sure their voices were still heard.

This is not the first time Twitter has featured heavily in a political uprisings – in 2009 Iran’s citizens took to Twitter to protest against a controversial election, with dramatic results.

Revolutions are scary. They can be bloody, wild, out-of-control and grow far larger than the sum of their parts. The fact remains, however, that social media prevents any one person from dictating how and why we should think in a certain way. The ‘great firewall of China’ is an example of a government who realized this fact early on, but the floodgates can’t hold forever.

Our thoughts are with the people of Egypt.

Image sourced from: The Telegraph