As I learned about the Egyptian revolution, it was apparent to me that social media played a great role in its successes. Manuel Castells article “The Egyptian Revolution” coincided with my beliefs that social media enables sociopolitical change. Being able to present ‘for’ the statement, allowed me to fight on the side I believed in. Going into the debate I felt strongly about my beliefs, although I was open to hearing what the other group was going to propose.
The Castells reading expressed how social Media sites like Facebook, twitter and YouTube have given Egyptians a platform to express their beliefs and, therefore, spark a conversation on political issues. It was social media that allowed information and news to spread quickly across Egypt, allowing for the number of revolutionaries to increase rapidly. Our group felt strongly that during the revolution, social media gave Egyptians the ability to hear news straight from the source, unlike mainstream media outlets in which news was often skewed to paint the revolutionaries in a negative light. We believed that social media gave Egyptians a voice that could not be silenced by the government.
After taking part in the debate, most of my opinions stayed the same. The side arguing ‘against’ did have some valid points on how many revolutions have occurred throughout history before social media was invented. Although, I acknowledge that many great social movements have occurred, I believe that social media ultimately enhances the traditional forms of protest that have been used in the past. Hearing form the side that read the Dean article, it was evident that the article differed from the Castells reading as it relied on the idea that social media is unreliable and possibly invalid because anyone can post on social media.
In conclusion, my opinions on whether ‘be it resolved social media enables sociopolitical change’ have not been altered after partaking in the debate.
Works cited:
Castells, Manuel. “The Egyptian Revolution” Networks of Outrage an Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, 2015.