Tools of Change: How the Internet Shaped the 'Arab Spring'

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TOOLS OF CHANGE: HOW THE INTERNET SHAPED THE ‘ARAB SPRING’ JILLIAN C. YORK ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

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Presentation given at PalConnect, the first Palestinian social media conference, on December 6, 2011 in Ramallah.

Transcript of Tools of Change: How the Internet Shaped the 'Arab Spring'

  • 1. TOOLS OF CHANGE:HOW THE INTERNET SHAPED THEARAB SPRINGJILLIAN C. YORKELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

2. The uprising that started on 25 January 2011was the result of a long process in which thewall of fear fell, bit by bitNothing aids the erosion of ones fearmore than knowing there are others,somewhere else, who share the samedesire for liberation and have startedtaking action.-Hossam Hamalawy, 2011 3. DIGITAL ACTIVISM INTHE ARAB WORLD:A BRIEF HISTORY 4. TUNISIA, 2006 5. ANTI-CORRUPTION:THE PRESIDENTIAL PLANE 6. ANTI-CORRUPTION:THE TARGUIST SNIPER 7. ANTI-CENSORSHIP:SAYYEB SALA7 8. ANTI-TORTURE:TORTUREINEGYPT 9. ANTI-TORTURE:PIGGIPEDIA 10. FUNDRAISING:TWEET STREET 11. MEDIA AND HUMOR:AL-AHRAM 12. MEDIA AND HUMOR:#GENESHARPTAUGHTME 13. Social media has created a sortof alternate space for reviving adormant publicconsciousness into a sentient,dynamic social discourse.-Hani Morsi(Egypt) 14. WORDS ARE ACTIVISM 15. WORDS RAISE AWARENESS 16. Whether we like it or not, the Internet isa classist privilege. Mainstream Arabmedia isnt. Hence many rely on these topublish news on the one hand, and toformulate a political vision gradually, atleast on the consciousness level, on theother. -Razan Ghazzawi, 2011 (Syria) 17. BARRIERS TODIGITAL ACTIVISM: Access Literacy Dissonance Censorship 18. CONTENTREGULATION 19. CROWD CAMPAIGNS 20. PROPAGANDA 21. SUPPRESSION 22. Our strength will always stem from thefact that well have one foot in thecyberspace, and, more importantly, theother foot will be on the ground. Hossam El-Hamalawy, 2008 (Egypt) 23. JILLIAN C. YORKDirector, InternationalFreedom of Expression@[email protected]://jilliancyork.com@jilliancyork