The Real Net Effect: Top 10 Lessons from the Internet and the "Arab Spring" (Salatan)

I thought Arab bloggers began with grievances and turned to the Internet to address them. But sometimes, apparently, it's the other way around. Al Omran said he started blogging just to practice his English. Once online, he met bloggers outside Saudi Arabia, learned about politics, and developed an interest in human rights. He said the same thing has happened to other bloggers in the region. Merlyna Lim, a scholar of social transformation at Arizona State University, described a similar dynamic in Egypt: Young people went online to keep up with their friends and youth culture. In doing so, they became politicized.

Click to read more ...

The Real Net Effect: An Interview with Sami Ben Gharbia about New Media, Tunisia, and the Arab Spring

During the revolution we noticed that there were limitations on the Facebook platform. We know Facebook, we know the tools –-- it’s not about the tools, it’s about the context in which the tools are being used, it’s about the strategy, implementation and approach to the using the tools.

That consciousness of the tools is really important in understanding the impact that the Internet had on the Tunisian revolution --- Facebook is a closed platform --- it has been used hugely by the Tunisian activists that were on the ground, take pictures and videos and posting that on Facebook. That was great.

Click to read more ...

Tunisia (and Beyond) Video Discussion: Social Media and Reform in the Arab World

A discussion on Al Jazeera English considering the impact of Tunisia's popular uprising on neighbouring countries, including the role of social media: participants are Sami Ben Gharbia (@ifikra on Twitter), the co-founder of the Tunisian website Nawaat.org, Nasser Weddady (@weddady), the outreach director at the American Islamic Congress, and Wael Abbas (@waelabbas), an Egyptian blogger and activist.