"If the internet crashed all across the land
Or my facebook account was deleted by the man
I'd carry around a picture of my face
And a summary of me typed out on a page"
In Jan 2011 the egyptian government attempted to shut down the country's digital networks in order to put a stop to protesters organising themselves online. Manuel Castells suggestion that "technology does not determine society" in Why Networks Matter was proven valid when the protesters continued to rally together, undeterred by their government's actions.
But the situation did more than make communications within the country difficult. It showed that though the protests continued without digital help, communication networks like the internet and specifically social networking sites, were a formidable tool that allowed protesters to organise themselves faster and rally together greater numbers. So effective were these online networks, that they posed a threat to Hosni Mubarak's continued power over the Egyptian people.
Global networks have changed the face of modern protest and Egypt is not the only government that feels threatened. The Zambian Watchdog reports that Malawi has taken a leaf out of Mubarak's book and shut down some news sites and social media networks, fearing these networks will entice and aid further protests as they did in Egypt. PCWorld reports China has similar concerns, strengthening it's censorship of foreign social media sites such as Facebook, the site believed to be most useful during the Egyptian protests in January.
While some governments around the world are fearing the organisational power digital networks. Recent 'digital campaigning' by US politicians via digital networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have got some experts debating their effectiveness as a campaign tool. Reporternews.com reports that campaigning via social media has leading political science experts debating it's effectiveness against communicating with constituents in the 'real' world.
I guess we'll find out when the votes are counted.
For more interesting articles regarding the role of social media in civil unrest, click the links below:
asiancorrespondent.com: Social Media, Censorship and the Thai Government.
rapidnewsnetwork.com: Politicians campaign using social media.
pcworld.com: Social Networking Trumps Censorship Every Time.
Or my facebook account was deleted by the man
I'd carry around a picture of my face
And a summary of me typed out on a page"
In Jan 2011 the egyptian government attempted to shut down the country's digital networks in order to put a stop to protesters organising themselves online. Manuel Castells suggestion that "technology does not determine society" in Why Networks Matter was proven valid when the protesters continued to rally together, undeterred by their government's actions.
But the situation did more than make communications within the country difficult. It showed that though the protests continued without digital help, communication networks like the internet and specifically social networking sites, were a formidable tool that allowed protesters to organise themselves faster and rally together greater numbers. So effective were these online networks, that they posed a threat to Hosni Mubarak's continued power over the Egyptian people.
Global networks have changed the face of modern protest and Egypt is not the only government that feels threatened. The Zambian Watchdog reports that Malawi has taken a leaf out of Mubarak's book and shut down some news sites and social media networks, fearing these networks will entice and aid further protests as they did in Egypt. PCWorld reports China has similar concerns, strengthening it's censorship of foreign social media sites such as Facebook, the site believed to be most useful during the Egyptian protests in January.
While some governments around the world are fearing the organisational power digital networks. Recent 'digital campaigning' by US politicians via digital networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have got some experts debating their effectiveness as a campaign tool. Reporternews.com reports that campaigning via social media has leading political science experts debating it's effectiveness against communicating with constituents in the 'real' world.
I guess we'll find out when the votes are counted.
For more interesting articles regarding the role of social media in civil unrest, click the links below:
asiancorrespondent.com: Social Media, Censorship and the Thai Government.
rapidnewsnetwork.com: Politicians campaign using social media.
pcworld.com: Social Networking Trumps Censorship Every Time.
