DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2011 · 96 citations · 0 references
Open access
Social SciencesPolitical CommunicationPolitical ScienceMedia StudiesMedia TheorySocial MovementsActivismDigital MediaNew MediaOnline Political ParticipationSocial MediaSocial Media PoliticsArab RevolutionsDigital ActivismDissent DynamicsInternet ActivismInternet-based Political MobilizationOnline Collective ActionOnline Political MobilizationPolitical Communication Online
The article examines the Internet’s role in political mobilization during the Egyptian revolution, using interviews and observations. The study seeks to differentiate the Internet’s use as a tool for change from below and as a space for collective dissent, transcending utopian/dystopian debates, integrating it with other media, and exploring its dialectical link to offline action. The authors propose a conceptual framework that distinguishes the Internet as a tool for change from below versus a space for collective dissent, transcending utopian/dystopian debates and highlighting its synergy with social media and satellite broadcasters during the uprising.
This article is a contribution to the debate about the role of the Internet in mobilizations for political and social change, drawing on interviews and observations during the Egyptian revolution. We propose distinguishing between the use of the Internet as a tool by those seeking to bring about change from below, and the Internet’s role as a space where collective dissent can be articulated. We argue that it is important to go beyond three sets of polemics. First, we argue for transcending the debate between utopian and dystopian perspectives on the role of the Internet in political change. Second, we propose a shift away from perspectives that isolate the Internet from other media by examining the powerful synergy between social media and satellite broadcasters during the January 25 uprising. And finally, we call for an understanding of the dialectical relationship between online and offline political action.