Structured Response

I think that while the revolts would have occurred with or without social media outlets, the existence of these outlets shaped the Arab revolts of 2011 and made them more successful. I think Khondker’s idea of “cyber-civil society” is one of the best examples of how social media influenced the revolts. Since creating strong civil society groups is one of the main factors we’ve explored in creating a successful revolution, it is important to note that social media cites make organization and the spread of information much easier and more widely accessible. It has the ability to take unstructured grassroots organizations and give them a means of operation. They can explicitly state their goal and spread their message to a wider range of people, which, in the end, is the main goal of any organization: to reach and gain the support of as many people as possible.  Just the ability to spread information quickly and to many people has changed the way revolts occur. The images of Khaled Said being beaten to death in Egypt sparked angry and shock which resulted in more organization. Events that spark widespread shock or anger can now be used to organize a more structured uprising. The want and need for revolution is present, but the use of Facebook and Twitter to further these goals makes the revolts much more powerful and successful.