Social Networking and Protest Movements

By Leonardo Dinic

CMPT 109

Social Networking Sites Used by Protesters

• Facebook• Twitter• YouTube• Google+

What movements utilized social networking?

• The “Arab Spring”• Anonymous• The Occupy Movement

The “Arab Spring”

• Began in Tunisia in December 2010 to protest oppressive regimes.

• Spread to Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, and more recently Libya, Syria, and Iran.

• Social networking was used to raise awareness, recruit, mobilize, and organize demonstrators.

The “Burning Man” of Tunisia

• An image of a Tunisian man setting himself on fire as a protest against the Ben Ali regime was circulated around the internet and sparked the Tunisian uprising.

“Anonymous” • An online hacker organization responsible for

fighting censorship and supporting anti-governmental uprisings.

• Has shut down multiple government websites.

• Informs internet users primarily through YouTube videos.

The “Occupy Movement”

• Makes use of social networking to organize and inform internet users.

• Important because of the lack of media coverage.

• Was able to organize thousands of people in New York City by utilizing Facebook and twitter.

Future of social networking?

• Will the internet become the main tool for organizing movements?

• Will organizations like “Anonymous” surpass the influence of governments?

• How will global social networking influence the Arab world?