How Facebook Played an Active Role in Bringing Democratization During the Arab Spring

Abstract

The cry for democracy in the Arab world began in 2010, and in countries like Tunisia and Egypt, it quickly spread throughout the entire region. In the Middle East in 2010, governments primarily operated as utilitarian dictatorships. For the most part, these regimes evolved into considerably stable governments. The changes leading up to 2010 had a trans-regional effect almost simultaneously. Most of the Middle Eastern region, near the end of 2010, began to protest for change and call for democratization. The key similarities between regimes were the fundamental development infrastructure and use of the internet, which became a primary mode of communication. By testing internet usage in Tunisia and Egypt, I traced and analyzed which mode of communication during the Arab Springs was most effective. Furthermore, based on specific uses of the internet, especially Facebook, I further tested whether Facebook had affected the exuberant call for democratization during the Arab Springs. The results introduced in this thesis conclude that Facebook played an active role in bringing about democratization during the Arab Springs.