For about a decade, the Arab Spring began utilizing social media tools to mobilize people before taking to the streets. By the same token, activists utilized these platforms to mobilize, lobby, organize, and influence the region’s people. At present times, particularly over the past two years, governments have become more aware of social media’s instrumentality. Therefore, they extended their apparatus of repression to cyberspace by blacking-out the internet, detaining digital activists, and influencing the policies of such platforms. Despite these measures, governments could not entirely prevent activists from using these platforms to mobilize and organize local communities, and make their voices heard by international outlets and activists.
This session presents a comprehensive overview of digital activism across the Arab region with a particular focus on Iraq over the past year and Lebanon and the October Revolution. It also discusses the integration of mobilization via the internet and on the ground, and how both complement each other.