the internet connection - flemington-raritan regional ......the internet connection in egypt and...

The Internet ConnectionIn Egypt and other countries, protesters are using the internet and ceiiphones to chailenge their governments and fight for more freedom

Each day, millions ofAmericans log on toFacebook, Twitter, andYouTube. They chat withfriends and share

pictures and videos. But theseInternet tools can be used in muchmore serious ways. People inEgypt recently used them to helpstart a revolution.

Sites like Facebook and Twitterare called social media. These sitesand the Internet in general haveplayed a key role in the protests

Words to Knowsuppress (suh-pres) verb, to put astop to something, especially byusing authority or force

tyrants (tye-ruhnts) noun, plural.people who rule other people incruel or unjust ways

taking place in the Middle East.Those protests have led to bigchanges in the government ofEgypt and those of other nations.

Getting OrganizedFor years, people in Egypt had

been slowly growing dissatisfied.The repressive government led byPresident Hosni Mubarak kept thecountry under strict control.Egyptians had very few freedoms,and Mubarak would not allow fairelections. People also grewfrustrated by the lack of good jobs.

In January, many Egyptiansdecided it was finally time for achange. To stand up to theirleader, ordinary citizens used themost powerful weapons they had:the Internet and cell phones.

A 26-year-old woman namedAsmaa Mahfouz posted a video onYouTube urging Egyptians to joinher in protest. V ael Ghonim, a30-year-old executive at thetechnology company Google, alsogot involved. He used a Facebookpage to organize a huge protest inCairo, Egypt's capital.

Other Egyptians went online tospread the word. On January 25,thousands of protesters floodedinto the main square in Cairo.More people joined the protesteach day, demanding thatMubarak leave office.

The government tried to stopthe protests by shutting down theInternet, ft also blocked textmessaging on cell phones. But itwas too late. After less than three

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weeks of protests, Mubarak's30-year rule was over.

"People on the street movedfaster and shared informationfaster than their government,"says social-media expert ShelIsrael. "They stayed ahead of theother side."

Instant MessagesThe Internet not only enables

people to communicate andorganize quickly, it also givespeople access to informationabout the world around them.That is a big change for people inEgypt and other nations withrepressive governments.

Unlike in the U.S., governmentsin those countries controlnewspapers, TV stations, and radiostations. People cannot freelyshare news and ideas. Theirgovernments often prevent peoplefrom seeing any news that iscritical of their leaders. Limitingthe flow of information to thepeople helps these governmentsstay in power.

" [They] suppress the freedom ofspeech and press that people havein democracies," Shel Israel says.

Today, as morepeople get access to theInternet, governmentsare having a muchharder time controllingwhat people see andhear. Since 2005, thenumber of Internetusers worldwide hasdoubled. Being onlinemakes it easier forpeople to learn aboutwhat's going on in othercountries—like attempts tooverthrow tyrants.

Egyptians organized only afterlearning about similar protests inTunisia. As news of protests inEgypt spread, people in othercountries in the region, like Libya,

Protests in North Africa and the Middle East

were inspired to act. They stagedprotests of their own to demand agreater say in their governments.

Get the Message OutThe Internet has also helped

protesters gain support in the U.S.and other democratic countries.Protesters used cell phones to takephotos and videos of the rallies,including violent crackdowns bygovernment forces. The protestersthen posted them on the Internetfor all the world to see.

"It let people in democraciessee what was happening and tocheer them on," says Shel Israel.

Of course, social media can bean important tool, but only braveprotesters themselves can bringabout real changes in government."It takes more than Twitter andFacebook to get people to risktheir lives to fight for freedom,"Shel Israel says.

—Laura Modigliani

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