The article “Social media: Did Twitter and Facebook really build a global revolution?” was published in the online newspaper website called the Christian Science Monitor by correspondent Jina Moore. This article appraised the role of the two popular social networks websites called Facebook and Twitter in toppling autocratic governments. Moore relied on the wave of uprising in the Middle East as examples to justify that Twitter and Facebook might have helped in bringing the people together on a common goal but there are several ways in which the effectiveness of these websites in solely infusing a revolution is questionable. This article incorporated a versatile research with a good organization which yielded support to the reasoning of the author however the author’s vague introduction lessened the impact of an otherwise commendable article.
Moore began her article by citing countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya as hostages of imminent revolution sparked by people through Facebook and Twitter. Moore followed by taking a contradictory view by arguing that even though analyst describe the role of social media as “organizing tools and as broadcasting platforms”, the latter has been predominantly utilized since other online activities such as the use of blogs in Tunisia helped more in “pushing events forward”. Moore further demeaned social media by claiming that without an “offline activity” any online movement is doomed to failure as the case in China and that past revolutions had sprung up successfully using other media sources such as the use of pamphlets during American Revolution. According to Moore, Government’s control of the cyber space also inhibits the intensity of a revolution. The article ended with the impression...
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...rengthening the purpose of the author such as the use of effective research and constructing relevance to the reader. However the article could further be improved if there could be a thesis statement or just a clear phrase that could keep the readers informed on what the author will follow in the article. Although Moore has used sufficient research, she could have mentioned the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela led by Hugo Chavez. This is the most valid and exemplary evidence of a successful revolution that ever occurred in the 21st century without the use of any media. This upholds the idea that revolutions don’t need Twitter or Facebook, it is in fact the might of the people that eventually overcomes injustice.
Works Cited
Moore, Jina. “Did Twitter and Facebook really build a global revolution?”. csmonitor.com 30 Jun. 2011. Web. 9 Aug. 2014.
“Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted” by Malcolm Gladwell is an article published in the Annals of Innovation, by The New Yorker magazine. Gladwell starts with an example of true activism. He opens the article with a depiction of how the Greensboro sit-ins contributed to the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Then the author supplies two examples of protests that have taken place in recent years that some people have said were started and organized on Twitter. He then goes on to clarify why Twitter was not a factor in these events and how media and government can distort certain truths about social media’s role in protests. The author continues the article by explaining why communication and relationships were more efficient before the era of social media and then compares social networking from the past and now. He uses this strategy to illustrate social media’s effect on how we interact and our commitment towards one another. Gladwell goes on to explain the organization of activist groups of the past and its
Malcolm Gladwell’s article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted" raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwell bold declaration that "the revolution will not be tweeted" is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the “high-stakes” lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960’s with the “low-stakes” activism achieved through social media, Gladwell concludes that effective social movements powerful enough to impose change on longstanding societal forces require both “strong ties” among participants and the presence of a hierarchical organizations. In contrast, Gladwell characterizes the social networks as an interwoven web of "weak ties" that is inherently devoid of a hierarchy. Gladwell’s prerequisites for social movement are firmly based in strong body of sociological evidence, but his views regarding the nature of online social networks are laughably lacking in foresight and obstructed by a misleadingly selective body of evidence.
The article named “spring awakening” wrote by Jose Vargas describes the impact of social media in converting the mentality of young Egyptian generations into bold and defend their inalienable rights as a citizen. This article justifies how social media can mobilize a tremendous number of people to stand up for their rights. The reasons that inspire my emotion is emerging of “Wael Ghonim” as a legendary vocal figure of action for change, revelation of social media as earthquake for change, and fundamental soci-political change.
Throughout his book, Dobson mentions several examples of the effect of social media and mass media on dictatorship. For example, Dobson thoroughly talks about how a large group of people around the world quickly came together to protest against the dictatorship. This incident arose from “an anonymous call for a Chinese Jasmine Revolution…over social media and the Chinese equivalent of Twitter” (Dobson 50). Dobson later mentions that China’s senior leaders had a meeting on how they should control China’s mass and social media on the events happened in the Middle East, so that such incident would not occur in the future (50). This effect of social media and the ...
Often times social media isn’t given much thought, and protestors come together and then fall apart. Violence strikes, extremist messages are conveyed, and the central goal becomes lost. If our society looks at social media in a different light, we could find a way to strengthen our activism, instead of ruin it. Twitter isn’t going to disappear, Facebook won’t get shut down, people aren’t going to throw away their phones. We have to adapt. Transforming how we can integrate technology, instead of banishing it, is our only option, because let’s be honest: millennials are too connected. But maybe if we stop seeing this as a bad thing, and rather an adaptive necessity, then our revolution can continue. As Gladwell explains, activism “challenges the status quo” (4). So why not challenge the way we view social
Both Nicholas Carr and Malcolm Gladwell debated how the Internet has affected humankind in both positive and negative ways. Malcolm Gladwell is a staff writer for the New Yorker and the author of Small Change:Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted. Nicholas Carr is a writer who has formerly written for the New York Times, The Guardian etc, he also wrote Is Google Making Us Stupid? Gladwell’s and Carr’s essays identifies how the internet has a damaging effect on people.
Howard, P. N., & Hussain, M. M. (2011). The role of digital media. Journal of Democracy, 22(3), 35-
In an article captioned “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted” Malcolm Gladwell, a writer for the New Yorker, and crowned one of Time magazine’s top 100 greatest influential people in 2005, argues that, social media is effective in uniting a large group for a cause, but ineffective in promoting high-risk activism.
The internet has become one of the most important factors in how we live in today’s society. Social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are attracting attention and popularity. Social media has create a place for us to connect and network from any place at any time. The growth and expansion of social media is having an impact on more than just the youth but the older generations as well. Older people are coming to learn how to use computer to keep in touch with family members far away and younger people are using it to express themselves. It has become so present in our daily routines to use social media for many purposes. The article “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, argues that there is a different in the way
For centuries, individuals have come together from all aspects of life to fight for a common goal or belief. This unity took quite some time be organized due to the simplicity of media and the slowness of word of mouth. The growth and popularity of social media has not only revolutionized the world but, more specifically, has had a massive influence on the expression of ideas and beliefs on an international sector. Author Malcolm Gladwell has sparked controversy in regards to his argument in Small Change: Why the Revolution Won’t Be Tweeted. Gladwell claims social networks are effective at increasing participation—by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires. In other words, participation in popular issues has increased as a result of social media because this participation requires very little motivation or effort. Majority of the time, a few clicks on a mouse qualify as “participation”. I strongly defend Gladwell’s thesis because the world of social media has proved, in several instances, to be less effective at sparking change as opposed to
...that as a culture moves towards spatial-biased media it deviates from temporal-biased media, or vice verse. However, Twitters short exposure time does not limit its potential of influence and power. A phenomena known as “Twitter Revolutions” have emerged, which Twitter is used to organize protest, most notably the Egyptian revolution in 2011. This potential for influence has led to government blocks in some countries.
Malcolm Gladwell’s article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted" raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwell’s bold declaration that "the revolution will not be tweeted" is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the “high-stakes” lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960’s with the “low-stakes” activism achieved through social media, Gladwell concludes that effective social movements powerful enough to impose change on longstanding societal forces require both “strong ties” among participants and the presence of a hierarchical organizations. In contrast, Gladwell characterizes the social networks as an interwoven web of "weak ties" that is inherently devoid of a hierarchy. Gladwell’s prerequisites for social movement are firmly based in strong body of sociological evidence, but his views regarding the nature of online social networks are laughably lacking in foresight and obstructed by a misleadingly selective body of evidence.
Malcolm Gladwell’s article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted" raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwell’s bold declaration that "the revolution will not be tweeted" is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the “high-stakes” lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960’s with the “low-stakes” activism achieved through social media, Gladwell concludes that effective social movements powerful enough to impose change on longstanding societal forces require both “strong ties” among participants and the presence of a hierarchical organizations. In contrast, Gladwell characterizes the social networks as an interwoven web of "weak ties" that is inherently devoid of a hierarchy. Gladwell’s prerequisites for social movement are firmly based in strong body of sociological evidence, but his views regarding the nature of online social networks are laughably lacking in foresight and obstructed by a misleadingly selective body of evidence.
Contemporary social movements such as Arab Spring and Kony 2012 use the Internet and social media as potential tools towards change. But why are some more successful than others. This paper argues that when news outlets see the potential for change, they “premediate” (Richard Grusin) its possibilities, and make that change ever more possible in their coverage. On the other hand, extant stories that are more reactionary do not get the same amount of new exposure, and remain static. In other words, our media - not just social media, but news organizations - play a great role in shaping current events. I will compare and contrast the unfolding of the Arab Spring story, and how little changed regarding Kony 2012, as cases in point. Both of these events were propelled by something we use in our every day lives: the internet. The network of connections that internet has, was able to bring these two social changes to not only there home countries but also to the entire world. With the rise of social media and the increasing news coverages, the Arab Spring and Kony 2012 were able to show just how much power the internet can have on change in the world.
The number of revolutions in the last 3 decades has increased, and seems to keep increasing. Civil unrest and protests brought many victims including civil and political figures throughout the world. In the era where technology is at the peak of its success, especially in communication technologies, mankind suffers from lack of communication. Problem is not caused by the technology itself, the problem is in human nature. I will continue with an analogy. Man invented the knife, which is very useful tool in our daily lives. The problem occurs when one thinks about the purposes that knife could be used. Story repeats itself with Newspapers and News Media. Technology improved the speed and the size that news can reach anywhere in couple of seconds. In a few seconds we can reach our friend at the other pole of the globe and receive pictures and live videos in response. We can send information, receive it and even create it in the artificial world. Life has become easier with technology. We can control our cell phones with voice command and reserve a table in the closest restaurant for dinner. Technology is everywhere in our lives, but if we think for a second the purposes we could use them for then the danger begins. In this short essay I will be talking about the struggle of mankind for freedom and the stages it went through. There are 3 parts to my paper. In the first part I will discuss the birth of World Wide Web and how the purpose of it went through changes. In the second part, I will be talking about birth of newspapers in the Web, precisely how it developed into an intermediate body that transfers information to people. Ultimately, I will discuss the Ukrainian revolution and the role of the news media in it and ho...