Revolution, Facebook Style

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/magazine/25bloggers-t.html

Can social networking turn disaffected young Egyptians into a force for democratic change?

"...As the street protests went on, young Egyptians also were mobilizing and venting their anger over Gaza on what would, until recently, have seemed an unlikely venue: Facebook, the social-networking site. In most countries in the Arab world, Facebook is now one of the 10 most-visited Web sites, and in Egypt it ranks third, after Google and Yahoo. About one in nine Egyptians has Internet access, and around 9 percent of that group are on Facebook — a total of almost 800,000 members. This month, hundreds of Egyptian Facebook members, in private homes and at Internet cafes, have set up Gaza-related “groups.” Most expressed hatred for Israel and the United States, but each one had its own focus. Some sought to coordinate humanitarian aid to Gaza, some criticized the Egyptian government, some criticized other Arab countries for blaming Egypt for the conflict and still others railed against Hamas."

Read the entire article by Samantha M. Shapiro in the New York Times.

Tags: Egypt, New York Times
Topics: Civic Life, History, Politics, Social networking, Web 2.0, Youth