Zeynep Tufekci, Zeynep Tufekci, Ph.D.Ph.D.

@techsoc@techsocwww.technosociology.orgwww.technosociology.org

Personal Democracy ForumPersonal Democracy ForumNYC 2011NYC 2011

““Agents of Change”Agents of Change”

The power of The power of strong ties, the strong ties, the power of weak power of weak

tiesties Understanding Understanding Social Media & Social Media & Social Change Social Change

Challenges to Collective Challenges to Collective Action under AutocraciesAction under Autocracies

Information diffusionInformation diffusion ““Hidden Preferences”Hidden Preferences” -what do others -what do others

think?think? SynchronizationSynchronization Shaping the public sphereShaping the public sphere Organizing mass / political actionOrganizing mass / political action Publicity / visibility / solidarityPublicity / visibility / solidarity

So What Does Social Media So What Does Social Media Add to Dissent under Add to Dissent under

Autocracies?Autocracies? Nothing?Nothing? Same thing, maybe faster?Same thing, maybe faster? Negative because of surveillance / Negative because of surveillance /

censorship?censorship?

Social Media Alters:Social Media Alters:

Ability to connectAbility to connect Shape of the NetworkShape of the Network Speed of Information DiffusionSpeed of Information Diffusion

One-to-Many Network (Broadcast)

First Target in a Coup!

First Target in a Coup!

Demonstrators, too!

“The whole world is watching”

Thus…Thus…

Reshaping the Reshaping the public(s)public(s)

Changing the moodChanging the mood

Lessons from Lessons from EpidemiologyEpidemiology

Shape of network + speed of Shape of network + speed of transmission Key to success of transmission Key to success of quarantinesquarantines

Autocracies play “whack-a-protest”Autocracies play “whack-a-protest”

Isolate/Supress/Crush/Censor/WaitIsolate/Supress/Crush/Censor/Wait

Worked for decades!Worked for decades!

Many-to-Many NetworksMany-to-Many Networks

Altered DynamicsAltered Dynamics

State is a resource-constrained actorState is a resource-constrained actor

Social media, by allowing mass Social media, by allowing mass coordination and rapid information coordination and rapid information diffusion, complicates “whack-a-diffusion, complicates “whack-a-protest”protest”

Attention Attention eeconomy is key to politicsconomy is key to politics – – speed of information diffusion speed of information diffusion mattersmatters!!

Example: TunisiaExample: Tunisia

Gafsa: 2008. Gafsa: 2008. Mining town, protests over corrupt Mining town, protests over corrupt

hiringhiring Isolated, crushed (quarantined)Isolated, crushed (quarantined) 28,000 Facebook users in Tunisia28,000 Facebook users in Tunisia

Sidi Bouzid: 2010Sidi Bouzid: 2010 Mohamed Mohamed BouaziziBouazizi’s self-immolation’s self-immolation Protests spread (viral)Protests spread (viral) Almost 2,000,000 Facebook users in Almost 2,000,000 Facebook users in

TunisiaTunisia

The Tunisian BlogosphereThe Tunisian Blogosphere (by: Dominique Lahaix ecairn)(by: Dominique Lahaix ecairn)

Aggregators

Marketing/pub

Personal Diaries

Perso with some politics

The US lifestyle The US lifestyle BlogosphereBlogosphere

The Claim: Social Media The Claim: Social Media Unsuitable for DissentUnsuitable for Dissent

Social Media only about weak Social Media only about weak tiesties

Protest only moves through Protest only moves through strong tiesstrong ties

Weak ties don’t matter to Weak ties don’t matter to success of protestsuccess of protest

In RealityIn Reality

Social media ties include both Social media ties include both weak and strong onesweak and strong ones

Tie strength is dynamic! Tie strength is dynamic! Weak ties create publics!Weak ties create publics! Bridge ties (which can be weak Bridge ties (which can be weak

ties) crucial for avoiding ties) crucial for avoiding censorship and isolationcensorship and isolation

New Ties; New New Ties; New ConnectivityConnectivity

Online to Offline – Online to Offline – finding friends, finding politicsfinding friends, finding politics

Agents of ChangeAgents of Change Tools *do* matter because they alter:Tools *do* matter because they alter:

Shape of networksShape of networks – many-to-many – many-to-many Possibility forPossibility for/speed of/speed of information information

diffusion diffusion Creation of counterpublic(s)Creation of counterpublic(s)

Fighting with camels in the Internet Fighting with camels in the Internet ageage

But tools do not create the courage But tools do not create the courage and dignity we are witnessingand dignity we are witnessing

Thank you! Thank you!

Zeynep TufekciZeynep Tufekci

zeynep@umbc.eduzeynep@umbc.edu@techsoc@techsoc

www.technosociology.orgwww.technosociology.org