The Internet, New Media, and the “Arab Spring”

The Internet, New Media, and the “Arab Spring”

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable?(John F. Kennedy, 1962)

Introduction

A significant discussion started wandering among those who study political dissent concerning the role that ICT plays in the ability to induce large and popular movements. Information and communication technologies are connecting millions of people around the world, making it easier to organize for political action. Skeptics underplay the impact of these technological changes in the success of movements while the debate is becoming particularly intense in the context of the so-called the “Arab Spring”. The “Arab Spring” is an attempt to chart an independent path in Arab politics, marked by efforts towards democracy and civil rights (Ismael et. al 2013). Meriam-Webster’s online Dictionary (n.d.) defines the “Arab Spring” as “a series of antigovernment uprisings affecting Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) beginning in 2010”. Mabon refers to it as the social movements and democratic uprisings that spread across the MENA region in 2011 (Mabon, 2013). This paper argues that while Internet communications and social media played an important role in mobilizing support for the “Arab Spring”, and overcoming constraints and barriers on freedom of expression and association, significant political events are still the main drivers that trigger political action. It starts by providing an overview of the “Arab Spring” outbreak in Tunisia and Egypt, followed by detailing the significance of political events in triggering massive demonstrations, then it specifies the role of the internet and social media in inducing political change, and it wraps up with a conclusive summary.

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Tunisia sparks the “Arab Spring”

The outbreak of the “Arab Spring” that challenged various authoritarian rulers across the MENA region occurred in Tunisia. At 11:30 am on 17 December 2010, Mohammad Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, frustrated by the lack of economic opportunities and continued harassment by government officials, stepped in front of the municipality building in Sidi Bouzid, doused himself in petrol, and set himself on fire (Ahy, 2014). During the second half of December and through blogs and text messages, Tunisians realized that they share common grievances with the dying man. They watched YouTube videos about their tyrant state and read foreign news on political corruption online, until Bouazizi died at the hospital on January 4th, moving people from virtual to real public spaces (Howard et. al, 2011). Initial protests in Sidi Bouzid were recorded by participant’s mobile phones and posted to their Facebook profiles. They were then picked up by a small elite of digital activists that were screening Facebook for protest-related content, translating it, and transforming it into a coherent and structured narrative. Bloggers started to run special online features and spread the word through various media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.?Once information became available in publishable structure, international newscasters published it, circumventing imposed blackout by the Tunisian state media (Breuer et. al, 2015). It was through this complex interaction between international broadcasters, digital activists, and non-elite protesters that collective movement reached a larger portion of the Tunisian population and sparked the “Arab Spring”.

The intensification of demonstrations and protests in Tunisia led to regime collapse and the spread of the “Arab Spring” movement across the Arab world. Unemployed youth were joined by employed professionals and occupational groups in challenging the tyranny of the state. The regime responded with increased oppressive measures where police violence caused the death of no less than 50 protesters between 8 and 10 of January. President Ben Ali addressed the nations on 28 December with a televised speech promising to meet the protester’s demands. He waited two more weeks to respond with a second speech promising to create 300,000 jobs but at the same time, calling the protests as "terrorist acts” orchestrated by foreign interests. On 13 January, Bin Ali announced he will not be running for president in 2014 and offered to call for early parliamentary elections, but it was too late. On 14 January, he fled the country with his family, after he was confronted with the largest anti-government protests the country has ever had (Breuer et. al, 2015).?By that time, civil-disobedience campaigns erupted against the authoritarian regimes in Jordan, Oman, and Yemen while minor protests happened in other countries like Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Sudan (Howard et. al, 2011). The success of the Tunisian revolution, and the momentum of the protests that extended across the MENA region, motivated and inspired the largest protests that Cairo had seen in more than thirty years.

Inspired Egypt

Demonstrations and mass protests were starting to break out in the streets of Cairo while the news of Bin Ali’s departure spread across Egypt. . The country had an existing vast and active online community that included banned political parties, radical fundamentalists, journalists and dissatisfied citizens.?Local Google’s executive “Wael Ghonim” started the Facebook group “We are all Khalid Saeed” to memorialize a 28-year-old murdered blogger called “Khalid Saeed” that was beaten to death by the police on 6 June 2010, for exposing their corruption. And just like images of Bouazizi spread across Tunisia, the photo of Khalid’s battered face was passed from one mobile to another where he became the focus for collective dissent while his Facebook page became a logistical tool of mobilization that helped to spark civil disobedience. On 25 January 2011, the first demonstrations of educated and underemployed youth marched into Cairo’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square, eager for change and lacking any political or ideological attachment (Howard et. al, 2011). They were merely driven by desires for bread, freedom, and social justice which is a clear reflection of the economic and social issues facing Egypt and similar to the Tunisian uprising. On Friday 28 January 2011, Egypt underwent a day of rage and anger, where the government replaced the police with the military, and started shutting down the internet and mobile phones access (Mabon, 2013). Demonstrations continued and extended across the country increasing the number of deaths and growing tensions nationally.

Non-stop massive demonstrations combined with civil disobedience rapidly led to the collapse of the Egyptian regime that ruled for 30 years. The prominence of Twitter in the revolution was evident in the usage of hashtag “#Jan25” by various movements such as the “6th of April Youth Movement”, “We are All Khalid Saeed Movement”, the “National Association for Change”, “25 January Movement” and “Kefaya” which facilitated connecting these various movements. Activists continued to call for symbolic events and demonstrations such as “March of the Millions” “Friday of Departure”, and “Sunday of Martyrs” that increasingly added momentum to the revolution by organizing millions of Egyptians to demonstrate against their oppressive authoritarian regime. (Mabon, 2013). At the beginning of February, the Egyptian security services started using Facebook and Twitter to track the movement of activists, and to apprehend leading revolutionary figures such as Wael Ghonim that emerged as Egypt’s leading voice on Twitter, linking Arabic-speaking social networks with English-speaking international observers (Howard et. al, 2011). The resignation of President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011, reached an apex of Egyptians worldwide within seconds, that instantly started exchanging messages on Twitter and Facebook to celebrate with triumph, pride, and excitement their nation’s emancipation (Eltantawy et. al, 2011). The Egyptian revolution that began on 25 January 2011 took only 18 days to remove the dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak from power and initiate a process of democratic participation.

Massive Demonstrations Triggered by Significant Political Events

Cyber-enthusiasts are optimistic about the ability of the internet and new media to induce and initiate foreseen social change, but the realization of change cannot be seen apart from the surrounding political process. The internet and social media can facilitate collective action and even sustain it, but the process of political communication cannot be reduced into the specifics of communication technology channels since there are various traditional channels utilized in mobilizing support for collective action. Similarly, the entire process of political change cannot be reduced to the process of political communication and accordingly cannot be considered as the main driver behind an entire revolution compared to various structural factors including corruption, hardship, and repression (Norris, 2012).?There are various political factors that influence the ability of people to access information and communication technology, and it is up to the people to take to the streets.?Even in places that have ample easy access to the internet, many citizens may not be angry enough to take up the consequences of collective action (Wolfsfeld et. al, 2013).?Only the power that springs from the pain and suffering of the people that will be sufficiently strong enough to induce social change (Ferrier, 1972). It is the political context that needs to be appropriately considered and analyzed before looking at the role of the internet and social media.

The internet and social media are important tools for collective action provided that people have sufficient access and strong motivation. Citizens living under poor conditions and repressive regimes will probably have less access to the internet and even when they have access, they are more likely to be monitored, harassed, and censored (Herkenrath et. al 2011; Van Dalen 2011). It is also essential to consider the political motivation, for example, wealthy people that have relatively more access to the internet and social media, are most likely to have lower levels of political discontent, and are more likely to use the internet for entertainment and to keep in touch with their friends. Consequently, populations that have greater need to organize and mobilize against their government, will find it more difficult to access and exploit the internet and social media, leading to a strange assumption of having a negative correlation between communication technology and the levels of protest at the national level, provided that there’s insufficient access to the internet (Wolfsfeld et. al, 2013). Perhaps the role of ICT can be further analyzed and can be considered as a significant tool for protest, provided that people have the inspiration and motivation to protest and the appropriate access to the internet.

Politics always come first chronologically, a substantial surge in the usage of internet and new media, will more likely follow a significant protest than initiate it or precede it.?A metaphor of the process is the impact that wind has on fire when it breaks out, strength and direction of the wind will affect the overall impact of the fire, and its direction. Similarly, social media will have a limited impact on societies with a lower level of political discontent, but when the level of anger and violence rises, all forms of media can serve as accelerators for social change. After significant political events occur, people will go back to media to find out what happened, this has been the case with traditional media, and is likely the same for social media and the internet (Wolfsfeld et. al, 2013).?This behavior is prevalent in non-democratic states, where citizens have less confidence in their local media.?They will turn to their blogs, social media contacts, and foreign news media, to find out what happened. The application of information and communication technology contributed to the acceleration of change, and the rapid growth of mass opposition so that transformation that can take decades will occur in weeks (McGarty, 2014). It is obvious that ICT contributed to the induction and stimulation of the “Arab Spring” but it did not initiate it. Revolutionary protests can be accelerated by having access to the internet and social media, but significant political events solely can trigger collective action.

The Role of Internet and Social Media

The Internet and new digital media played a significant role in providing momentum and support to the “Arab Spring”. Howard and Hussein offer three central roles of digital media within the “Arab Spring”. First, it helped activists organize and shape the political and social discussions during the pre-revolutionary phase. Second, it helped in building social capital by mobilizing people as the anti-government online discussions moved to the streets. And third, it helped in acquiring international support and spreading voices against the falling regimes (Howard et al., 2011).?The Egyptian revolution demonstrated social media prospects for mass mobilization, organization, and implementation of social movement through an interactive process that was not possible using traditional mobilization resources such as faxes, leaflets, posters or telephones.?Protestors also used the internet and social media to draw attention when they were in danger and to provide the world with minute-by-minute live updates (Eltantawy et al., 2011).?Activists considered social media (especially YouTube) to provide training and tactics on how to cope with oppressive security forces, especially in urban guerilla warfare.?It also reduced the cost of mobilization for rebels, lowering dependence on foreign sponsors, and enhancing the perceptions and legitimacy of rebels since they became less dependent on foreign financial resources. (Comunello et al., 2012).?Even if we cannot see the internet and social media as the instruments that trigger revolutions, they played an important role in mobilizing activists that promoted massive demonstrations and helped in connecting them with the rest of the world.

As discussed earlier, the internet and social media cannot replace physical actions necessary for successful revolutions, but the availability of these resources reinforces the prospects for political change. The internet and social media were used in organizing and implementing collective activities, promoting the sense of community, establishing collective identities, and creating less confined political spaces to stem awaited political change (Eltantawy et al., 2011).?The internet contributed to transcending and exceeding geographical and socio-economic disparities, which provided a robust basis for the establishment of a national identity supportive of collective action against increasingly unpopular regimes. This national identity served as the basis for the articulation and establishment of a new grievance system that never existed before which assisted in overcoming problems of collective action and inspiring successful protest movements that resulted in regime change (Breuer, 2015). Networked interfaces between traditional broadcast, and internet-based media enabled the smartphone video of Bouazizi to travel to broadcast news instantly.?That interface between different media platforms provided a powerful wider diffusion and supported the successful penetration of information into a broader population (Ahy, 2014). The internet and new media played a significant role in helping people understand the limits and boundaries of their oppressive dictators, trust and believe in their unlimited capacity to change the future, and trigger the process of political emancipation through organized and motivated collective action.

Conclusive Summary????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

The Arab Spring dramatically changed the political landscape of the MENA region, deposing dictatorships, and bringing people together in opposition against their oppressive apparatuses. I was living in the Middle East when Bouazizi set himself on fire, and I was able to see the anger in the eyes of youth that were inspired to move to the streets through various means of communication and media outlets. But when Bin Ali fled Tunisia and Mubarak resigned, that was when the political rhetoric started changing, and dictators became afraid of the potential for political change. Many scholars were enthusiastic about the critical role of the internet and new media, but this paper provides clear evidence on the necessity to analyze the political context before looking at the role of information and communication technology. Significant political events helped to inspire and motivate movements starving for social change and emancipation. The internet and new media followed by playing a significant role in organizing activists from different streams, diminishing geographical and socio-economic barriers, mobilizing angry, frustrated people, and allowing them to share their struggle with the rest of the world.?The internet and social media facilitated the formulation of collective identities that only existed in pluralistic societies, but it was up to the people to take it to the streets and bring down their oppressive regimes. Helpless figures like Bouazizi in Tunisia and Saeed in Egypt triggered the struggle for liberation that inspired millions of non-elite protestors about the necessity for political change.