Online empowerment in Egypt
One of the most fascinating aspects of the quasi-revolution currently taking place in Egypt is the way protestors are organizing themselves.
Over the weekend, The Daily Beast reported that many of the demonstrations have been organized by an unknown individual operating a dead man’s Facebook page. The operator is known by the name El Shaheed, meaning martyr.
This sort of online empowerment is striking.
On one hand, social media has empowered the individual because anyone can create an online profile that theoretically anyone connected to the Internet could access.
On the other hand, for the same reason, the Internet’s accessibility mutes the average individual’s ability to reach and mobilize the masses, which makes the Egyptian protests a rare case in measuring social media’s reach.
However these events end, the Internet and social media will have played vital roles in the transformation of a country.
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