Generally, the term is presented without quotation marks, although there is common, but less frequent, use of “Arab Spring” to indicate that the meaning does not match the outcome. As Ibrahim Abusharif (2013) notes, “The Arabic word for "spring," rabi’, conveys key metaphors associated with its English counterpart, like renewal, hope, and fresh growth.” The protests were met by many observers and participants as positive events leading to democratic political change, yet several years later the results are mixed. The Arab Spring also serves as an example of the Internet evolving to a phase of contested access (Palfrey 2010) after less scrutiny in the past.ģ Before continuing it is worth noting the significance of the term, “Arab Spring.” The expression carries many positive meanings that apply to both its English and Arabic roots. The recent experience of democracy movements in a number of MENA countries (Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria) shows how information and communication technologies during times of social protest and unrest can be significant forces for organization and mobilization. The growth of social networking, such as the 2009 introduction of Facebook in Arabic, confronts governments trying to restrict networking activities and their use for organizing opposition. Access to a range of ICTs brings with it new opportunities for information exchange and communication, but they also can be seen as a technological and generational challenge to the hierarchical social order of many MENA societies. No longer the domain of the affluent, ICTs such as mobile phones are increasingly common in even low income countries. Significant in recent protest movements is the widespread availability of the Internet and mobile phones to facilitate organization and action, which raises the research question of how ICT affects protest movements.Ģ While the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region contains few affluent economies, the growth of ICT, especially mobile phones, provides an important vehicle for communication and interaction. The transmission and exchange of information, and the use of information and communication technologies, are a common element in protest movements, from the use of satellite television to report on Tiananmen Square in 1989 to the use of e-mail by rebels in Chiapas in 1994 to the organization of protests in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011. Over the past 25 years, social movements have actively sought out and used new information and communication technologies (ICT) to give voice to their concerns. At the same time, any technology that has enabled diverse views to be expressed has also been a target of control. 1 As information and communication technologies approach ubiquity they also gain considerable social and political application and influence.
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