Maintaining a conscious approach is not always easy when discussing something as colossal as social media. It feels as though every claim made about its ability to contribute to society can be countered by ways in which it is seen working against society. Indeed my perspective on both Castell’s and Dean’s chapters, as well as the relationship between social media and sociopolitical change, has changed.
In preparation for our debate, I was assigned Castell’s chapter on The Egyptian Revolution. What stood out most to me was Castell’s argument that social media, mostly Twitter and Facebook, provided the event space to host planned protests and give voice to otherwise silenced individuals during the Egyptian Revolution (60). Thus, my belief in social media as a positive tool that benefits sociopolitical challenges through their increased attention, was satisfied. However, following the debate and specifically my role as an assessor, I gravitated more towards the potential that the same promotional capacity of social media can be a negative attribute. Naturally, as a reader I was captivated by the structure of Castell’s argument, highlighting the importance more than the danger of social media’s role in the Egyptian Revolution. Conclusively, the debate allowed me to move in a liberated mental space and visualize multiple perspectives and contexts.
Being actively involved in a debate allowed me to obtain a relatively balanced outlook on the relationship between social media and sociopolitical change given the context of the Egyptian Revolution. However, not being an active participator in the debate on Dean’s chapter led me to an even more developed intellectual stance. There is a certain benefit in listening, but not being able to contribute to an argument, which enhanced my sense of awareness and critical capacity. Furthermore, only having read one of the chapters – Castell’s – made me feel a certain foreignness that was comforting.
A notable difference between Castell and Dean’s perspectives is the audience that Dean’s text targets. Perhaps this effect derives from the fact that his text has a broader focus on “Technology and Communicative Capital” using many examples to support his thesis, as opposed to Castell’s focus a particular occurrence – The Egyptian Revolution – which is equally, if not more, important. This gives Dean’s argument more flexibility and the opportunity for reader to draw on their own personal experiences on Social Media. While both texts assume a certain cultural context of their readers, they both dominate a certain perspective – Dean looking predominantly at how social media can hinder sociopolitical change and Castell at how it helps. Ultimately, my lack of positional bias throughout the duration of this activity shaped my ultimate conscious outlook. It is true – Social Media can be an asset and a barrier to Sociopolitical change.