Many news sources have mentioned in passing the use of social media channels in organizing the nearly three weeks of demonstrations throughout Egypt that led to the resignation of the country’s president Hosni Mubarak earlier today.
One can be sure that the use of Facebook and Twitter and other SM in organizing the efforts will be studied for a while. The Twitter channel #Jan25 was at least one point of contact that protesters used. Today it is carrying massive traffic as the celebrations sweep the nation of 80 million. We noticed nearly 5,000 tweets in about half an hour.
Earlier we blogged about the five-day Internet blackout that the government attempted:
“Experiment over: Egypt is back on line”
“Egypt’s government turns off the Internet – An experiment in non-communication.”
It isn’t clear why Mubarak’s administration told providers they could go back on line. A five-day Internet blackout must have been quite damaging to commerce in the country even though the Egyptian stock exchange was allowed to remain on line.
Does this mean a countrywide “kill switch” is not an option — even in the face of a major revolution — because the Internet is now too vital to normal life?
What did the Egyptian protesters learn about organizing via social media from their peers in Tunisia who organized a similar uprising with similar results?
What did the Egyptian protesters learn that future protesters will use?
Tom Kelchner