"The Revolution Will Not Be Twitterized!" - Ohlédnutí za úlohou moderních technologií a sociálních sítí v arabských revolucích a kontrarevolucích.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Twitterized!" - Critical Overview of the Role of Modern Technology and Social Media in the Arab Revolutions

Summary/Abstract: This article attempts to reflect on the role of internet, mobile phones and social networking sites in the events of Arab Spring in 2011. The article is divided into three sections. The first section presents statistical data on penetration of mobile phones, internet and social media in the Arab world. The second portion reflects the discussions about the role of Facebook and Twitter and presents some critical thoughts about their importance in the events of Arab Spring, which, as I claim, was positive and negative as well. The third section then presents a list of examples of how the modern technology and social media was used and abused during these events by protesters as well as by the repressive government agencies. My key conclusion from this overview of Arab information wars is that the internet is a double-edged weapon: while it could have played some role in mobilization of the middle-class educated Arab activists, the same technologies and services have played a negative role in repression of the very same protest movements. In the end of the article, I come to a conclusion that Facebook & Co. is powerful, yet very erratic companion in revolutions and that the most important “force” of modern technology stems not from the technology itself, but from the young people’s ability of (ab)using it in an innovative ways, unexpected by the repressive apparatus.

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