1. Social Media and
the Arab Spring
Kyle Jernigan
Richard Skinner

2. About
The Arab Spring is a revolution that began late
December 2010 in Tunisia when “Mohamed
Bouazizi, a 26-year-old fruit and vegetable seller,
set himself on fire after police confiscated his cart
because he didn‟t have a permit.” He later died
from his injuries.
Protests spread across the Middle East like
wildfire soon after.
The protests were fueled by social media outlets.
Mainly Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

3. The Spread

4. Fast Information
Popular social networks like Facebook and
Twitter allow users to share their ideas and
intentions at a rapid pace.
“In Tunisia and Egypt, more than 80% of the
usage of Facebook during the civil movement
and events in early 2011 was „either to raise
awareness, share information or organize actions
related to the movement and events.‟”
Social media was not the cause, but clearly
played a role in accelerating the events.

5. Social Media Usage
To evade detection of protest activity.
Spread ideas.
Recruit new members.
Video the progress of the movement.
Organize events.

6. Facebook
Allows like-minded individuals to form groups,
and plan protests.
Event pages can be created that allow invited
members to set a location and time for a protest
to take place.
Videos can be tagged and shared.

7. Twitter
Allows for instant updates to a mass audience.
Able to write quickly and clearly from 140
character limit.
Smart phones allow users to access Twitter at
any place and any time.

8. YouTube
YouTube is the most powerful tool in the
protestors arsenal.
Allows users to post events, injustices and
protests immediately.
More stimulating than Facebook and Twitter due
to visuals.

9. How the World Changed
Five regimes have toppled since the revolutions
began.
The protests have spread to over a dozen
countries
30,000 have died since the protests began.
Protesters in Occupy Wall Street took note of the
Arab Spring and used social media to their
advantage.

10. Discussion
Do you think social media is useful for organizing
large scale gatherings?
What do you think is the most powerful social
media tool in the Arab Spring? Facebook, Twitter,
or YouTube.
Do you think social media has the power to
topple the dictatorship in Syria?