Social media and Arab Uprising
Today, we live in the era of social media not only myself but I also believe that everyone has play one kind of social networking sites such as Facebook, or Twitter or even blog. I use social networking sites for my entertainment purposes such as updating fashion style, food spots, and some of the breaking news.
Social media also allows people to share their expression such as anger, indignation, pride or even happiness in particular situation. For example, when I am happy I update my status on Facebook. However, some of the protester, they assume that social media platform is the place where they can express their political indignation, organize and raise up some of the movements. With the aim of gaining support political and social movements, some people online social networking sites for political expression, symbolic identification for collective actors and further information exchange.
Nowadays, social media platforms are the contemporary equivalent of what newspaper, poster, leaflet or direct email to transfer all of information to the world. It has been essentially responsible for the assembly’s process in the popular movements, to build up public spaces, which simplifies and guides the physical association of highly dispersed and individualized community.
When I mention about social media and political expression, it reminds myself the movement named Arab Uprising, which is represented for a generation of disappointed, often jobless or underemployed, occurred in Tunisia. It was spreading out to some of Arab regions namely Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya. This movement is considered as majority of population.
In the reading for this week, Youmans et.al (2012) points out that YouTube has been cited as an important platform in the Arab regions such as Syria, Egypt and so on. Some of countries like Syria, Egypt, Yemen and so on, where they do not have enough professional journalists, the citizens created some of contents to against the government. It included some of offensive contents.
In 2011, YouTube took down a popular video, which showed the battered body of young boy, was reportedly tortured and killed by the authorities in Jiza. This horror content converted new members to collective action efforts. Even though YouTube has removed this video, the impact on behalf of protesters may be diminished by the loss of viewers. The clip may be overtaken by further current events.
The other example in Egypt is an Egyptian posted a video on YouTube a scene that two polices customizing a bus driver. Although YouTube has removed the video and deactivated of the account (a person who uploaded), it still influenced the protesters and activists in the case of overthrow a government.
At the moment, most of platforms utilize community policing mechanisms in term of account holders may report others for terms of service, violations, including offensive content and unwanted contact (i.e. spam). Some of the platform as such Facebook, YouTube and so on automated content controls to remove or prevent the posting of certain words, phrases or links, which consume an offensive. These strategies could be brought the effective; however, it could be brought harm for activist users.