Now, research is emerging that reexamines in a more detailed way the role that social media played in the Arab uprisings.

Question

In July 2012 a report was published by the United States Institute of Peace based on an extensive content analysis of bit.ly links from the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Bahrain. Bit.ly links, or short URLs, are predominantly used in social media such as Twitter. The authors came to some conclusions that countered the initial assumption that social media was a causal mechanism in the uprisings.

Instead, the study suggests that the importance of social media was in communicating to the rest of the world what was happening on the ground during the uprisings. "New [or social] media outlets that use bit.ly links are more likely to spread information outside of the region than inside it, acting like a megaphone more than a rallying cry."

Data from the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project at least somewhat supports this conclusion with its findings that the majority of Egyptians are not online. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the total population do not use the internet.

What reasons do the authors give to support their claim about the importance of social media in the Arab uprisings? Select two options.

the description of social media as a causal mechanism
the explanation that most Egyptians do not use the technology
the clarification that Twitter is relatively new and frequently used
the fact that information from bit.ly links was shared around the world
the detail that a US institute collected data in multiple countries

Answer 1

The two options that support the authors' claim about the importance of social media in the Arab uprisings are:

1. the explanation that most Egyptians do not use the technology - This supports the claim that social media was not a primary driver of the uprisings among those in the region, indicating that a significant portion of the population was not engaged with these platforms.

2. the fact that information from bit.ly links was shared around the world - This highlights the role of social media as a tool for broadcasting events to a global audience, reinforcing the idea that its importance lay in communication rather than mobilization within the uprisings.