Week 11.

This week we analyse social networks and their contributions as platforms for social revolutions. The reading this week from the guardian was a particularly interesting one, outlining that we mustn’t be too technological deterministic when analysing revolutions and the role social networks play in such uprisings. This is in reference to Cyber-utopians, when referencing the actions of the Arab Spring, with revolutions arising in Tunisia and Egypt and Libya and the likes. This article criticises this mindset that social media networks conjure social revolutions, under-mining the actions of real-world activism.

This is correct, as after all it does take real-life people to use such sites, people who have real-life problems and views which long to be voiced. I believe the point is valid, and argument is correct but I still can’t help but be frustrated by the level of cynicism this article takes, and undermines the power in which the conglomerate of people social media tools allows for, and undermines the utopia in which the internet could be seen for. It is true that activism does start with real-life activism, the time and space compression in which the internet allows should never be disregarded. Morozov (2011) seeks to criticise the platforms in general (Facebook, Twitter) as mere fads, and by portraying them as means of spreading democracy in order to justify our excessive use, just seems like a personal vendetta against such social media tools, a view not understood by someone not brought up surrounded by such technologies.

After all is said and done, I do see positives coming from social media tools, and can see their possibilities in helping create this global community, Regardless of the name of the social media platform, the web must be analysed as a network in itself, truly revolutionising the way we interact. But we must still not be too technologically deterministic when analysing such mediums, as it does start with people, but at the same time we mustn’t disregard the power that comes with linking up global communities through networks over the internet, using various social media tools.