I can bet that when social media was first invented, the creators never imagined it would become a tool that would unseat at least two presidents, unite people, and cause history making revolutions such as the one witnessed in Egypt.
Make no mistake about it, this is not a political post. Rather, it’s a look at the impact of technology, more specifically social media, on political issues – in this case, the Egyptian revolution which saw the end of a political regime yesterday.
Egyptians took to social media to express their grievances on channels like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Typical in this digital age, apart from the citizens, other key players in the political crisis in Egypt – both President Morsi and the country’s military – have also engaged with each other, the larger opposition movement and the public via social media.
SEE ALSO: The Up Side of Social Media – Going Viral
More specific examples could be seen in the popular pictures of protesting crowds posted on Instagram. Also, for days now, Egypt has continued to trend on Twitter. In the midst of all of these, certain happenings further emphasize the place of social media in this. Replay when the now deposed President Morsi was given 48 hours to resolve the issue by the military. He posted on Twitter that he had no plans to step down. This was retweeted by over 12,381 people and favorited by 2,590 people within an hour.
#?????? ???? ???? ???? ????? ???????? ????????? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ????? ??????????? ??????? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ??????? ??????????????
— ?.???? ???? (@MuhammadMorsi) July 2, 2013
Reuters translated the tweet as: “President Mohamed Mursi asserts his grasp on constitutional legitimacy and rejects any attempt to deviate from it, and calls on the armed forces to withdraw their warning and refuses to be dictated to internally or externally.”
Amidst all of this, the people kept on the protests and increased their engagement through Twitter. On YouTube, an amateur video was posted by officials of Morsi’s government where he declared he was still the elected president of the nation. The video was later taken down.
When the news of the takeover by the military broke, images of the joyous crowd in Tahrir Square quickly emerged on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Even as the night wore on, more images of the jubilant crowd were uploaded to social media. Interestingly, the people in opposition were not left out; they made themselves heard, choosing to refer to the events as a coup which had upstaged a constitutionally elected government.
The global media was also able to keep up with events in Egypt via social media, especially when the ultimatum was issued. This gave the story more prominent coverage. The events highlight the way in which people have increasingly turned to social media to air their grievances since the Arab Spring. We must also remember that sites like Twitter were vital to the initial revolution in January 2011, which saw Morsi eventually come to power, and it seems the same mechanism has been used to take him out.
If there is one clear point in all this, it is that all sides — both citizens and the government alike — now recognize the power of social media and how it can be used to create headlines around the world.
SEE ALSO: How Not To Engage On Twitter, The GTBank Way
When we innovate, we never know to what extent our creations would go to change the world. It is best to offer solutions with a very positive mindset, and leave them to take on a destiny of their own.
Social media has come to change our lives in more ways than one and we can only hope that it would be better used to harness positions and forge clear ways forward, as that seemed to be one thing lacking in all of the protests in Egypt.
If you have been impressed by the impact of social media in these times, please share your thoughts by leaving comments below.
