The Power of Social Media

The public was never more aware of the true power of social media until they realized the role it played in the Arab Spring. Facebook and Twitter played a crucial role in coordinating protests and keep those outside the country up-to-date on the atrocities being committed by the Government. In this interview, conducted by Mark Colvin, BBC World News correspondent Mishal Husain talked about how social media played such a large role in the situation in the Middle East, "You can certainly point to distinct uses both in Egypt and Tunisia where Facebook played a really defining role." Atrocities previously kept quiet by notoriously private governments were soon being viewed by millions around the world. Governments found themselves scrambling to contain the information that never before had been spilled from their borders. Social media, combined with old media (i.e. pictures and videos), became the way of the people to expose how far their governments would go to suppress the uprisings. Social media allowed the people to become stronger than the government, a feat never before seen. While the early happiness and joy over their newfound power has slowly decreased, many are still looking at social media as way to save the people in Syria and other countries from their dictators.