Social media and revolution

Or, what is the differencebetween Iran and Egypt?

Malcolm Gladwell

• Author of “Tipping Point” and other bestselling books

• Argued in New Yorker that social media do not foment revolutions

• Wrote that Twitter and Facebook can’t substitute for real life

Hierarchies versus networks

• Real social activism, like Woolworth’s sit-in, requires “strong ties”

• Low-commitment causes, like Darfur, depend on “weak ties”

• When there is danger, leadership and personal commitment are key

Twitter non-revolutions

• Moldova had a “Twitter revolution” without Twitter accounts

• Most Iranian “activists” tweeted in English rather than Farsi

• “Slacktivism”: Social media work when they don’t demand too much

Clay Shirky

• Author of “Here Comes Everybody” and other bestselling books

• Argued in Foreign Affairs that social media can foster social change

• Wrote that Twitter and Facebook supplement real-life activism

A potent organizing tool

• Texting led a million people to demonstrate against Joseph Estrada

• “Twitter revolution” in Moldova fueled ouster of Communist Party

• Boston Globe’s exposé of sex-abuse scandal rocked Catholic Church

It’s complicated

• Some attempts at social change will succeedand some will fail

• A repressive regime can use social media as effectively as activists

• Evgeny Morozov criticizes cyperutopians in “Net Delusion”

Egypt’s Facebook revolution

• Google executive Wael Ghonim helped sparka revolution

• “Hey @Gladwell, #Jan25 proved you wrong. Revolution can be a #Facebook event that is liked, shared & tweeted.”

Regime turns off Internet

Unexpected consequences

• Social media can be used to provoke and to spark retaliation

• Would “Innocence of the Muslims” be made without social media?

• Rioters were neither reformists nor government oppressors

The Gandhi rule

• Peaceful revolution only works when opponent has a conscience

• Authoritarianism is more benign than totalitarianism

• Mubarak was not Ahmadinejad — or Bashir al-Assad of Syria

Questions for journalists

• How can we use social media to tell story of what is happening?

• How can we, like @acarvin (left), tell truth from fiction?

• How can we see social media as a tool, notas a miracle or a fraud?