The Role of Social Media During the Arab Spring

Social media is one of the most important aspects of globalization, as it is considered to be the main tool that is contributing to the growing interconnectedness of societies, the fast flow of information, and the overall increase in global communication. The main question this research seeks to answer is whether social media played a role, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, during the Arab Spring. Since it was found to be so, the research also sought to explore how social media played such role. First, the research presents some of the underlying reasons that have led to the revolutions, which are mainly unemployment, a demand for dignity, frustration with the authoritarian government, censorship of the media, and the need for the right to freedom of speech. After developing a clear understanding of the issues behind the revolutions, and after analyzing literature of that era, the research has shown that social media has been a major player in the uprisings, as it was used as a tool to communicate, to organize and to create global awareness of the conflict