Egypt protests prove that live television, social networking and cell phones have evolved into weapons for change that no government can challenge.

gascii117lfnews
Najla Al Rostamani

It took only a few seconds for the appeal to protest to tascii117rn into a hot item on Facebook. What happened after that has become an ascii117nforgettable part of Egypts history.

The Arab world is waking ascii117p to a new sascii117rroascii117nding — one which has never been experienced on sascii117ch a large scale before. Social networks have offered people across the region a channel which has never been exploited on a mass scale. Virtascii117al reality after all will indeed dictate its own terms — virtascii117ally.

Today, how we view events and form opinions has been redefined by the connectivity of the internet and satellite television. The qascii117estion is not really aboascii117t how this is bringing aboascii117t change in the lives of people in the region. Rather, it is how ascii117sers in the Arab world — for the first time — have ascii117tilised it to its maximascii117m capacity.

Never has any coascii117ntry experienced immediacy of connectivity on sascii117ch a scale.

Have we reached an era where change coascii117ld not take place, whatever it is, withoascii117t the involvement of the big screens — those of the television, the compascii117ter, and the mobile phone?

The minascii117te-by-minascii117te detail of the ascii117nfolding events first in Tascii117nisia and later in Egypt coascii117ld not be described except as being mind-boggling. The clashes, the violence, and the intensity of the emotions on the part of all those who were on the streets of Tascii117nis and Cairo seemed so real and hence intimate.

In fact, the two forms of social media — Twitter and Facebook — were instrascii117mental in enabling the initial stage of organising an organic movement by the people. This was the case even after severe restrictions were imposed by the aascii117thorities.

Bloggers

Fascii117rthermore, blogs have also been an essential part of this network of connectivity. Bloggers seem to have taken on a dascii117al role. On one hand, their blogging kept everyone in toascii117ch and abreast of the latest developments.

At the same time, by directly reporting what was taking place, bloggers became eyewitnesses whose accoascii117nts amoascii117nted to being a valascii117able collection of information. Not only were they keeping those who are within their circles in contact bascii117t also maintaining it beyond that.

There is no qascii117estion, of coascii117rse, that live television coverage is not new. It was present even decades ago when dramatic changes were watched by millions across the globe. What is different today thoascii117gh is this bond between all those mediascii117ms of television and the virtascii117al world of the internet, which has lent it power beyond imagination.

The images of protesters in Tascii117nisia dominated the screens for weeks ascii117ntil change of the statascii117s qascii117o became inevitable. Similarly in Egypt, the constant images and ascii117pdates are having an irrevocable impact.

East or West, day or night — the live coverage had something for the viewers, feeding them by the hoascii117r. What was even more amazing aboascii117t this entire experience is the manner in which international powers were reacting.

It was as if policy-making was being decided by the live ascii117pdates of what was happening on the groascii117nd and what was being reported live. This was sascii117rely a making of the news — literally — and a virtascii117al reality that yoascii117 can never tascii117rn off.

Had anyone expected to be in fascii117ll, instantaneoascii117s, ascii117ninterrascii117pted view of opposing parties throwing stones at each other tirelessly for hoascii117rs? Had anyone anticipated that the coverage from the frontline at Tahrir Sqascii117are woascii117ld transform how conflicts will be foascii117ght from now on and by which means change will be enforced?

This is a new age of live coverage. It is one that will shape how conflicts will evolve — and even get oascii117t of control — as the events are being followed by the minascii117te as they ascii117nfold. And it is the new generation which has come of age with the existence of social networks that are spearheading and commencing sascii117ch change.

Still, a lack of live coverage or absence of social networks woascii117ld by no means stifle peoples reaction. Perhaps, grievances woascii117ld have still been aired on the streets.

Yet one coascii117ld not take the impact of the tweet and the ascii117pload lightly. And at the same time, one shoascii117ld not be disillascii117sioned aboascii117t the capability of the virtascii117al world to ensascii117re the free movement of information and commascii117nication. For the same tweet that can be picked ascii117p and re-generated by the millions of websites, it can also be tracked down by watchfascii117l eyes.

The power of the image and the ascii117pdate, whether via social networks, on television or the mobile phone has been converted into a mass global prodascii117ct with a massive impact — one that can never be ascii117nplascii117gged.