Social Media and the Egyptian Revolution

Ever wondered what an American Revolutionary citizens Twitter page might have looked like? Look no further than Wael Ghonim and his tweets or his Facebook page that quickly drew 70,000 followers in mere days.

While back in the 1770’s it took the likes of Patrick Henry to get the word out to send the British packing, today, we can all voice our opinions to the masses by the click of a mouse or swipe of a finger from anywhere in the world.

In his Fast Company article, Simon Mainwaring delves into “Exactly What Role Did Social Media Play in the Egyptian Revolution?” Clearly social media was the initial engine that drove this revolution and quite possibly others taking place right now in Jordan, Tunisia and other middle-east countries. Many reporters also note that a major spark in the Egyptian revolution was the death of Khaled Mohamed Saeed and the Facebook page “we are all Khaled Said” which drew “470,00 fans” who quickly organized marches against the 30 year-old regime.

While social media (especially Facebook and Twitter) may have been the initial engines that drove the revolutions, one cannot forget that “it was the human voices peacefully calling out for change in the spirit of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. that served as the stimulus for igniting the transformation.”

President Mubarak feared social media so much that he cut off all internet and cell service in Egypt in an attempt to quell the dissident voices. Little did he know that this would have quite the opposite effect as the uprisings quickly escalated? Only time will tell if the same thing happens in neighboring countries.

As Ted Nguyen writes, “tomorrow’s revolution will begin on Twitter today.”  Agree?