Social Media and Power Relations during the Arab Spring Revolutions with Comparative Focus on Egypt and Tunisia

The rate and degree of success among the Arab Spring revolutions has varied. While the reasons for this variation is undeniably complicated, one behavior that continues to have a significant effect on the dynamics of these social movements is the use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. This paper explores the role that these communication tools played in the 2011 Egyptian revolution where the revolution succeeded in overthrowing the Mubarek regime. Compiled from local social media reports, the data has been analyzed and displays a direct correlation between the use of social media and the organization of mass protest. Furthermore, the dissemination of the local’s emotional responses via social media sites allowed for a stronger personal association from the global community. There is enough evidence to show that social media directly assisted with the organization of protests and demonstrations that helped force leaders to either step down or start reforms. Furthermore, social media spread news about these revolutions across the world, educating and humanizing the activists, which in turn helped secure international support for their cause.