Social Media and Online Anonymity during the Arab Spring

It has been more than a year and a half since demonstrations broke out in central Tunisia at the funeral for Mohamed Bouazizi. Bouazizi, a fruit vendor, set himself on fire in protest of police corruption and ill treatment. The protests sparked by his death spread rapidly throughout Tunisia, and the Arab world soon erupted in revolution. Protests followed in Egypt, Libya, Iran, and Syria, as well as a number of other countries, with strikes, demonstrations, marches and rallies. Social media was also used to organize protests, communicate with other activists, and uncover state attempts at repression and Internet censorship.

In the months that followed the first protests in December 2010, videos, pictures, and stories from activists spread quickly via the Internet. Social media played a central role in the shaping of political debates and has proven a powerful tool for mobilizing support quickly. Social networking sites – such as Facebook and Twitter – allowed the world to stay updated and facilitated ongoing protests. Meanwhile, activists continued using social media as a way to organize protests and spread awareness. That changed, however, when authorities started to censor more and more websites.

Egypt blocked both Facebook and Twitter on January 26, 2011, and other countries in the region followed suit. A day or two later, Egypt completely shut down the Internet, along with the cellphone services in the country.

Continues at: Social Media and Online Anonymity during the Arab Spring.