Janet Giampietro :: Gblog

Unlike the Aswan Dam to the Nile, nothing can hold back the Egyptian people from voicing discontent against their repressive government. Following Tunisia’s successful overthrow, it is now Egypt’s date with a revolution.

For both countries, social media was the rallying platform. Never before has it been possible to gather hundreds of thousands of people to unite for a common cause with such speed. And those same crowds provide up to the second happenings to nearly the entire world to particpate. It is mind-boggling. This is uncharted territory for Egypt.

However, Egypt is now its fifth day with virtually no Internet. The government cut off access last week to try to disrupt the protests. With a little creativity, Egyptians are getting back online or finding ways to get their messages out. Listen to NPR’s report.

Contrary to government wishes, this revolution will be televised – & tweeted & YouTubed & Facebooked & texted & StumpledUpon & emailed… Let us hope that the vehicle for change does not become Egypt’s undoing.

How do you think social media will continue to influence cultures and governments? How do you use social media to mobilize your causes?

Event coverage via all platforms:

• Huffington Post: The Complete Guide to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution
• Mother Jones: What’s Happening in Egypt Explained
• BBC News Interactive: Egypt protesters step up pressure

Photo: Mona. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Concept and design: © 2011 Janet Giampietro

Photo on website home: Sherif9282. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Concept and design: © 2011 Janet Giampietro

Tags: creativity under pressure, news delivery channels, Social media spurs social change, social mobilization, worldwide connectivity

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 at 8:15 am and is filed under Social Media Insights, Under Discussion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.