Tunisia's Revolution Was Twitterized

[Turborama]

Firas Al-Atraqchi | Assoc. Professor of Practice in Journalism at American University in Cairo
Posted: January 14, 2011 11:55 AM

In what could be a sign of how social media is reshaping politics in the Middle East and North Africa, Tunisian protesters turned to Twitter to broadcast information on their popular revolt against the government's economic and media policies.

Videos of street clashes in Tunisian towns were broadcast on YouTube before some were taken down, minute-by-minute updates on the number of casualties were retweeted, and reports on the political situation as it unraveled kept Arab audiences mesmerized.

Bechir Blagui, who runs the Free Tunisia website, says that people have tossed around different names for this "revolution."

"They called it the jasmine revolt, Sidi Bouzid revolt, Tunisian revolt... but there is only one name that does justice to what is happening in the homeland: Social media revolution, or back home, better called the Facebook revolution," Blagui said. He says that in the absence of traditional media - government bans on reporting and the jailing of independent journalists like Fahem Boukaddous - Tunisians resorted to their cell phones and going online to document the history of their nation in the past four weeks.

"Combined with Twitter, this helped on the ground organization of massive crowds from around small towns in remote areas. It was crucial for the organizing effort," Blagui added.

Much more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/firas-alatraqchi/tunisias-revolution-was-t_b_809131.html

Al Jazeera English have live coverage with updates. Link to live stream: http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now /

I have added a few OPs to my journal which give further background info:

As Riots Continue, Tunisian Bloggers & Rapper Arrested
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/398

The Moor Next Door: More On Riots, Protests In North Africa (Why They Are Historically Important)
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/397

Interactive Map Of Countrywide Riots In Tunisia & Links
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/396

Anonymous Has Joined Tunisian Activists To Help Fight The Government's Stifling Of Online Dissent
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/395

Latest news being added to LBN.