The Arab Youth: Empowered by Technology Infused with Tradition

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The Middle East has always been a region which has frequently appeared in global news and media for various reasons. Despite all the attention directed towards the region, there has always been a sector of the population which has been left unaddressed most of the time. This sector which I talk about is the Arab youth. For a long time, the Arab region and its politics have been closely related to its traditions and its past, with many leaders maintaining their power for several decades. Due to this social structure, the youth of these countries have been given little amount of attention and say in the way their countries are run. However, in light of the recent events that have occurred across the region, it is evident that the youth have had enough of this oppression and that now it is their turn to take control. The question that has popped up in the minds of millions across the world is “what might have caused these sudden uprisings?” A part of the answer to that question can be attributed to technology. Specifically, it is the social media structure of the internet and television which has acted as a catalyst and empowered the Arab youth, not only to revolt against their oppressors, but to rediscover their identity in times of strife and hardships.

In the past, the spread of the internet and related technologies had been relatively slow in the Middle East. In fact, one of the first countries in the region to make internet commercially available to the public, Kuwait only started doing this in 1992 (Wheeler,2006, p.38). The primary factors for this problem included dictatorships trying to avoid new avenues for free speech and the distrust of “western” technology by most people in the region. Whenever an argument is made agains...

... middle of paper ...

...anuary). Egypt cuts internet to disrupt protests. FT.com. Retrieved May

22, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2253125111).

Egypt supporters rally worldwide. (2011, January 28). Al Jazeera English. Retrieved on June 02,

2011, from http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/01/201112815843772129.html

Jordan Opens Registration to its Arabic Domain name. (2011, November 23). Arab Crunch.

Retrieved June 01, 2011, from http://arabcrunch.com/2010/11/jordan-opens-registration-to-its-arabic-domain-name.html

Schneider, C. (2009, July). Cynthia Schneider: The surprising spread of "Idol" TV [Video File].

Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/cynthia_schneider_the_surprising_spread_of_idol_tv.html

Wheeler, D. L. (2006). The Internet in the Middle East. (T. M. Harrison & T. Stephen, Eds.).

Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

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