The Middle East as the First Battlefield of Web 2.0

Abstract: This paper looks at the fundamental characteristics of the design of technology platforms in an attempt to shed light on the way technological infrastructure (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) can be used by political actors to create and exert power. Platforms, by design, allow for fluid and dynamic forms of organization, providing the infrastructure for socio-technical networks that can operate simultaneously as value-neutral or value-laden tools. Moreover, due to their dynamic nature, platforms are constantly being shaped by the actors with different capacities, while also shaping them in return. The direction of this change is hard to define, yet an understanding of what their design allows to happen would help provide a better framework for the analysis of this phenomenon and pave the way towards a more understanding to the nature of the social inter-subjectivity between technology and humanity. To this end, this article starts by introducing literature from software studies and design thinking explaining the logic of platforms. Then the article looks at the role of technology in changing the political landscape in the Middle East. Ultimately, this highlights the dynamics whereby actors can manipulate different dimensions and characteristics of platforms design to gain power and make an impact.

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