Social Media Activism

• Please respond to the following questions in a minimum of 350 words for all of the questions total (you may write much more!) Please number your responses.
• You do not have to re-write the questions.

Questions:

1. Please discuss your general reactions to the documentary. (For example: What most surprised you? What did you learn?…)
2. Did the uprisings occur because of social media? Discuss the following two statements.

• Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian regional executive at Google and one of Egypts most prominent tweeters , said If you want to liberate a society, just give them the internet.
• What is your reaction to this statement? Is the Internet all that is needed to start a revolution?
• The BBC narrator says “Revolutions can not be made on the Internet alone”.

1. The required reading for this module discusses how digital media were central to the mobilization of social movements such as the Arab Spring, Occupy, and Black Lives Matter. However, it also notes that digital activism is often temporary and that institutional change is slow. Based on the examples in the chapter and the documentary, how effective do you believe social media is in bringing about lasting social or political change? What are its strengths and limitations in this regard?

Please use this link to access the documentary.