Summary
This paper aims to look at the impact and influence of Twitter on the Arab spring. An online questionnaire was distributed among respondents who have twitter accounts and took part in the event. The results showed that a large number took part in the Arab spring through Twitter. The report showed that Twitter was a tool to organize the Arab Spring as well as share pictures and videos about what was going on the ground. It is recommended that Twitter is considered as an important tool for political developments. It is a powerful media to share information with a wide audience.
Social media has emerged as a vital tool in the demand for political changes within a country. The Arab Spring that occurred in Egypt, Tunisia, and other areas of the Middle East relied on the use of social media to organize followers and make arrangements in the activities. Social media and more specifically Twitter as an immoral tool for the uprising. Twitter greatly fined Arab sorting as it was used in the organization of the social protests (Allagui & Kuebler, 2011).
Tunisia witnessed the first event of the Arab Spring, which was spurred by high levels of inequality and unemployment in the country, among other social ills. The protests first occurred in 2010 where a street vendor burned himself alive due to the desperation of joblessness and corruption. He succumbed to his burns, and he became the main image in the protest that grew strong due to online internet tools. This paper looks at the impact and influence of Twitter on the Arab spring (Tremayne, 2014). Twitter is the cause of the success of the Arab spring.
Literature Review
Scholars have looked at how Twitter played an integral role in accelerating the Tunisia revolution. Essentially, the movement drove out the country’s 23-year ruler into exile. A blogger named Slim Amamou, who enjoyed thousands of followers on Twitter, was able to instantiate the uprising. Within a short time, his popularity had soared, and he was even elected as a Minister of Youth and Sports.
Social media was used in a variety of ways. According to Manuel (2013), there was an upsurge of pictures and videos on Twitter during the Egyptian lab spring. The photos and videos show the presence of protestors in many cities I Egypt. Essentially, Twitter was a means to disseminate information among the protestors. Protester’s sweet bale top provides information about how to avoid the police ad were to assemble.
Researchers such as Porta (2014) delve deeper and look at the impact of censorship on social media. Many governments use censorship when they want to control the internet or limit the spread of information. They have been successful in some countries such as Yemen and Libya. In Yemen, the level of internet penetration is small. Few people have access to Twitter, and the Arab spring was ineffective. On the other hand, Libya is characterized by a highly controlled internet. Essentially, internet censorship was a major factor that limited the spread of the Arab spring.
The Arab region has been characterized by the highest technology adoption rates in the world. Allagui (2009) considers the adoption of modern communications as a vital ingredient in the effectiveness of Twitter. Internet penetration has also increased over the years. The author considers how the media and government exist within the country (Tremayne, 2014). There is a complex relationship where the government is increasing internet connectivity in the context of economic development.
On the other hand, there is an increase in suppressing online freedom, resulting in a culture of subversion. Essentially, the research shows how governments in the Middle East have sought to control the internet but have been largely unsuccessful. Subversion leads to a situation where there is no physical boundary. Social networking tools like Twitter have emerged as an alternative method for the citizenry to participate in political and public spheres without interferes.
Scholars such as Howard and Hussain (2011) have analyzed the tweets in regards to the Arab spring. From the analysis, it was determined that a large number of tweets involved messages about democracy and freedom in the Middle East and North Africa. Additionally, the tweets were effective in encouraging people that the uprising will be a success. Twitter became a tool that people who were interested in democracy could easily take part (Moghadam, 2009). It was a tool to establish political action and allowed for greater freedom for the participants.
The research will prove vital in detailing the impact of social media on the organization of people and groups. Twitter was used as a tool to share vital information about the Arab spring. Twitter, for example, played a role in sending and spreading videos and photos of the happenings. The research will also show that social media has emerged as a new opposition movement (Allagui, 2009). Specifically, this group can challenge the government of the day if they feel unsatisfied with the current policies in place.
Problems arising from existing research in the field are due to the lack of information about the trends in participation. In many countries, the government has tight control of the internet and social media. Due to censorship; it is difficult for some people to access Twitter. In this regard, there is a chance that some of the information in existing can be inconclusive on the true impact of social media. Despite this, the report will be able to look at the importance of Twitter in the Arab Spring (Castells, 2013).
Methods
The research was carried out using online questionnaires. Due to the diversity and a large number of participants required, the online survey would be able to reach a diverse group. Specifically, participants comprised of individuals who participated in the Arab spring. It includes people who live in North Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, some of the participants comprised individuals who were following the uprising through social media even though they did not participate. All the participants were required to have Twitter accounts. 250 people participated in answering the online questionnaire. The information would be vital in determining how many participants who had access to Twitter took part in the Arab spring. It will also detail how Twitter influences them to participate in social uprising. The responses from participants were voluntary.
Results
The results provided vital data on the impact and influence of Twitter. All of the respondents provided their feedback. All of the participants used Twitter as the primary means of accessing information concerning the Arab spring. About 30 percent used other internet sources to be informed about the Arab spring. It includes Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram. Many participants were influenced to take part in the uprising from links shared by friends. It creates a domino effect where many people were aware of the uprising swiftly and efficiently.
Table 1: Results.
Discussion
From that data, a large number of participants sued Twitter as their primary means of accessing social media. Through the prevalence of Internet-connected mobile phones, it was easy for a large number of participants to be involved. About 190 participants physically attended the uprising a result of Twitter. Specifically, the tool was used in providing updates about the uprising, as well as making plans for future events. Twitter is an easy and acceptable tool to use. It creates a way that many people can gain information from the media (Gleason, 2013). Furthermore, the social site encourages the spread of information in few words. It increases its readability among social media users. Despite this, about 50 participants used other social media sites such as Facebook also twitter.
The effectiveness of Twitter comes from the ease of sharing information. Users could easily make trending news using the Arab Spring hashtag (#Arabspring). Specifically, the user can easily access materials about the current events being organized. Furthermore, information is easily shareable through links. About 172 respondents shared information about the uprising. The information can be shared with other social media, thereby increasing its spread on the internet (Howard & Hussain, 2011). Twitter was a means to post a picture of participants and the occurrences on the ground.
Even though the Arab Spring began in Tunisia, it spread to other countries. Twitter provided an opportunity for a large audience to be aware of the occurrence in Tunisia. Many people in other Arab countries were influenced by the occurrence in Tunisia. Specifically, it brought to light many issues that many Arab countries were facing. It encouraged people to demand change in their respective countries. Since Tunisia, other countries also adopted Twitter as a tool to organize for a social uprising (Porta, 2014). The Arab spring was a success in Tunisia, and this greatly influenced its spread in the region. Specific, Twitter was an integral tool that ensured its success.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the research shows that Twitter greatly influenced the Arab spring. Among a large number of the participants, Twitter was the tool of choice for sharing information. It was used in the organization and planning of the Arab spring activities. The Arab spring was a major call for political change in Northern Africa and the Middle East. It began in Tunisia but later spread to other Arab countries. The Arab spring faces its origins in a Twitter user who shared the injustices the country was facing. Twitter was an important factor in the success and spread of the Arab Spring in North Africa and the Middle East.
Recommendations
A recommendation arising is that Twitter is a vital tool for sharing information and organization events that will require a large number of people. It is easy to access and has a wide audience. The tool makes it easier to inform many people about an issue that affects them. During the Arab Spring, Twitter was a political tool to call for changes. Specifically, Twitter acts as a tool to lead to political developments in many countries.
References
Allagui, I. (2009). Multiple mirrors of the Arab digital gap. Global Media Journal, 1(1), 14-23.
Allagui, I., & Kuebler, J. (2011). The Arab Spring and the role of ICTs. International Journal of Communication, 5(1), 1435-1442.
Castells, M. (2013). Networks of outrage and hope social movements in the Internet age (1st ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Gleason, B. (2013). Occupy Wall Street: Exploring informal learning about a social movement on Twitter. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(7), 966-982.
Howard, P., & Hussain, M. (2011). The role of digital media. Journal of Democracy, 22(3), 35-48.
Moghadam, V. M. (2009). Globalization and social movements: Islamism, feminism, and global justice movement (1st ed.). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Porta, D. D. (2014). Methodological practices in social movement research (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tremayne, M. (2014). Anatomy of protest in the digital era: A network analysis of twitter and Occupy Wall Street. Social Movement Studies: Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest, 13(1), 110-126.
Appendices
Survey questions
- Did you physically participate in the Arab spring? (Yes/No).
- Did you use other social media (Facebook) besides Twitter? (Yes/No).
- Did you share information such as videos and pictures about the Arab spring? (Yes/No).