From Social
Media to Social Movements to Social Change
In
December 2010 there was an uprising in the Arab Spring which began in Tunisia
and quickly started many rebellions in Arab countries. Lots of information
through social media such as Facebook and Twitter that helped spread the
satisfaction of Arabs who did not support to raise their voices and take to the
streets where they provided open members against dictators at the time.
The
Arab Spring began on the streets of the Tunisian capital, Tunisia and then
traveled to other parts of the country. Various events took place, one by one
the dictatorship of the country fell by these regimes was later replaced by a
new government. The new system of government decided on freedom of speech,
thus, the Arab masses turned to social media to question their leaders, vent
their attitude of hatred and dissatisfaction with their leaders. Finally these
regimes can fall which are mostly caused by social media.
Arab
youth who use various platform technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
and Skype that attract people to voice their feelings. Campaigning through
social media is becoming increasingly socially intense which leads to social
change.
The
demand for the Arab Spring for a democratic environment is the most important
on the agenda when protesters tweeted and took to the streets. It can be said
that the Arab Spring is not a spontaneous political event but rather a
continuation of a long struggle to restore the dignity and rights of citizens
of Arab countries.
In
the middle class countries intellectuals form the core leadership for social
work. They exerted great influence and provoked mass opposition to their
respective regimes. They care for the movement and creatively create public
awareness about oppressive regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria.
Because
middle-class Arab youth have knowledge of various technologies including
satellite TV, cellphones, computers and the internet, they use it to
disseminate information to the masses that trigger transnational activism.
Since then, the influence of social networks has increased in the political
arena throughout the country. With modern social media, the masses do not need
to be in a geographical proximity to information dissemination or political
mobilization for common purposes.
With
this we can conclude that social media is the main instrument used throughout
the domino phenomena of the Arab Spring.
1.
Social media provides facilities for information processes that are easily
spread.
2.
Social media allows actors in the Middle East to communicate directly and
continuously across national borders.
3.
Social media plays an important role in communication between those who
transmit and those who adopt and adapt to the media and then be identified with
each other.
4.
Social media facilitates the preparation of tactics and slogans that are
commonly used among movements that play an important role in success.
Sumber referensi:
THE MIDDLE EAST ARC OF CRISIS: POLITICAL SPIN-OFF AND DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME Chapter 8: FROM TWEET TO STREET: SOCIAL MEDIA DURING THE ARAB SPRING
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