Social Media, Human Rights and Political Change

Abstract

This paper examines the role of social media in progressive political change, in light of its use in the Arab Spring uprisings. The concept of social media us explained, before arguments for and against the importance of social media in revolutions (eg those of Malcolm Gladwell and Clay Shirky) are examined. An account of the Arab Spring (to date) is then given, including the apparent role of social media. Evgeny Morozov's arguments are then outlined, including his contentions that social media and the internet can be tools of oppression rather than emancipation, and spreaders of hate and propaganda rather than tolerance and democracy. The US policy on internet freedom is critiqued too. Finally, the role of social media companies, and their accountability and responsibility given their (perhaps inadvertant) role as the facilitators of revolution, is discussed.