Social media and revolution
Or, what is the differencebetween Iran and Egypt?
Malcolm Gladwell
• Author of “Tipping Point” and other bestselling books
• Argued in New Yorker that social media do not foment revolutions
• Wrote that Twitter and Facebook can’t substitute for real life
Hierarchies versus networks
• Real social activism, like Woolworth’s sit-in, requires “strong ties”
• Low-commitment causes, like Darfur, depend on “weak ties”
• When there is danger, leadership and personal commitment are key
Twitter non-revolutions
• Moldova had a “Twitter revolution” without Twitter accounts
• Most Iranian “activists” tweeted in English rather than Farsi
• “Slacktivism”: Social media work when they don’t demand too much
Clay Shirky
• Author of “Here Comes Everybody” and other bestselling books
• Argued in Foreign Affairs that social media can foster social change
• Wrote that Twitter and Facebook supplement real-life activism
A potent organizing tool
• Texting led a million people to demonstrate against Joseph Estrada
• “Twitter revolution” in Moldova fueled ouster of Communist Party
• Boston Globe’s exposé of sex-abuse scandal rocked Catholic Church
It’s complicated
• Some attempts at social change will succeedand some will fail
• A repressive regime can use social media as effectively as activists
• Evgeny Morozov criticizes cyperutopians in “Net Delusion”
Egypt’s Facebook revolution
• Google executive Wael Ghonim helped sparka revolution
• “Hey @Gladwell, #Jan25 proved you wrong. Revolution can be a #Facebook event that is liked, shared & tweeted.”
Regime turns off Internet
Unexpected consequences
• Social media can be used to provoke and to spark retaliation
• Would “Innocence of the Muslims” be made without social media?
• Rioters were neither reformists nor government oppressors
The Gandhi rule
• Peaceful revolution only works when opponent has a conscience
• Authoritarianism is more benign than totalitarianism
• Mubarak was not Ahmadinejad — or Bashir al-Assad of Syria
Questions for journalists
• How can we use social media to tell story of what is happening?
• How can we, like @acarvin (left), tell truth from fiction?
• How can we see social media as a tool, notas a miracle or a fraud?
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