Egyptians have been using social media like Twitter and Facebook to organize protests and mobilize support. The Egyptian government allegedly shut down much of the country's access to Internet to curb the effects of social media on unrest and violent protests. Many believe their country is censoring them, but Egypt has denied claims that they are responsible for the blocking access to the Web. This article also talks about how social media sites are enabling people with camera phones and personal experience in the protests to post news about the situation, while mainstream media struggles to get to the "front line" to provide this news. This is an example of a scenario in which social media is reporting the news first rather than republishing it from traditional media sources.
Article: "Social Media @ the Front Line in Egypt" by Tim Lister and Emily Smith, CNN
Nicholas Kristoff managed to get into Egypt and has been tweeting frequently on events. Sample tweets:
ReplyDeleteI think Mubarak either oversees a bloody crackdown, and army obeys (neither certain, both possible)--or he's out. #Egypt #Jan25
I spent today at Tahrir Square--even more people than before. This is snowballing. Everybody insists Mubarak must go.
Interviewed many folks at Tahrir. They see US as still supporting Mubarak. They plead for US to remove that support.
Innaharda, ehna kullina Misryeen! Today, we're all Egyptians!