A Revolution in Communications: Democratization and the Growth of Cyberspace

Abstract

T there are over one billion active users on Facebook. Tweets per day surged from 300,000 in 2008 to 200 million by 2011. Growing accessibility of mobile devices leads to increasing engagement with these media platforms. The surge of Internet, social media, and blog use has had major implications on the spread of information and new forms of communication. These forms of exchange, referred to in Liberation Technology: Social Media and the Struggle for Democracy as information and communication technologies (ICTs), have empowered private citizens to access more information and also enabled individuals to provide information to the public. These technologies have also affected the political landscape. Videos on YouTube and “geo-mapping” of electoral fraud are examples of tools that have been used to promote political accountability. We have witnessed how Twitter and Facebook can be used to mobilize the public against oppressive regimes and express sentiments against governments, but did these technologies really affect the outcomes of the Arab Spring? Do they actually promote democracy? In Liberation Technology: Social Media and the Struggle for Democracy, editors Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner question the impact of ICTs on authoritarian regime transition. Has digital media allowed for greater civic mobilization and the overthrow of governments, or has it strengthened authoritarian regimes with the ability to censor information? Liberation Technology is a collaborative effort of scholars and practitioners. Eleven essays are divided into four categories: Liberation and Control in Cyberspace, Liberation Technology in China, Liberation Technology in the Middle East, and Policy Recommendations. The book’s editors, Diamond and Plattner, are leading scholars in the field of democracy studies and co-editors for the Journal of Democracy. Contributors to Liberation Technology include political scientists, software developers, and leaders in democracy-promotion. While the authors differ in their views about who benefits more from digital ICTs, all believe the Internet should be “universal, open, and essentially free