Abstract
The demonstrations, revolts, and protests collectively known as the Arab Spring have destabilized many long-standing autocratic governments in the Middle East. Central to this process were several types of information technology, including mobile phones, the internet, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. Unfortunately this issue is often represented in simplistic, technologically deterministic terms. This essay examines the distribution and growth of several digital information technologies in seven countries rocked by recent protests. It opens with a conceptual analysis grounded in the works of Jurgen Habermas, asserting that information technology has democratized the sphere of public debate throughout the Arab world. Second, it charts the Arab space of flows, the infrastructure and usage of the internet, cell phones, and social media. Third, it outlines government attempts to censor the Arab internet. The fourth part details how various information technologies were utilized by the Arab masses, particularly...
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