Social Media in 2011

Undoubtedly, the role of Social Media in the 2011 revolts was important. However, there is a particular limit to their effectiveness that is directly related to the capacity of the coercive apparatus in each country. The extent to which the press and the freedom of speech are oppressed are two key aspect in the formation of social movements and essentially revolts. In the case of Egypt, this was part of a process that had began from 2005 when the government made concessions and allowed the opening of privately owned newspapers. It was these newspapers that excised some form of criticism against the government from the very first time while exposing a variety of scandals and schemes. Besides this the lessening of measures when it came to public gatherings should also be taken into considerations. The importance of this is highlighted more in the present, where it is much harder to publicly demonstrate in the country. Most importantly, we should also have in mind the discontent across many different groups of people in Egypt, as shown in the documentary we watched in class. Young people felt hopeless and without a future, labour unionists felt exploited whilst the middle class disliked the corruption. It wasn't the social media that created the incentive for the creation of a social movement but it was the discontent of the people. This can be further exemplified through the example of Turkey. Freedom of speech has been harshly pressed in Turkey for decades. During the Gezi Park revolts the social media played a crucial role into mobilizing people, however, the government forces were proven to be way more powerful and eventually suppressed the demonstrations. At the moment social media are either blocked or regulated in Turkey, however there are still ongoing demonstrations as people find other means to communicate. In other words, social media are very important into facilitating social movements and mobilization because they make communication more interactive whilst they maximize access to information. However, even without social media, people could still mobilize because they feel discontent and even with social media, social movements can be crushed because of the robustness of the states' coercive apparatuses.