Social Media Revolution Hits Saudi Arabia

Social Media is no doubt a big part of our social lives in this country. Instead of calling, texting, or e mailing, we may choose to share interesting things through twitter, Facebook, or youtube. It seems that people no longer communicate with each other directly, but through some sort of social media tools. Last semester, Clark had an event called the "Slow Day", when students and faculty were supposed to stay away from cell phones and internet in order to practice "slowing". Doing Yoga or Tai chi were ways to achieve. Surprisingly, most Clark students did not even know that it had happened, because it just didn't sound doable or relevant in this social era.

How about social media in other countries? As we know, most social media networking sites started in the US (CA and MA), namely Facebook, twitter, and Youtube. Soon enough, developed countries like Japan, Korea, Canada, UK, or other European countries followed the trend. Yet, today, it may appear to be a shocking news that Facebook and twitter are blocked by the government in China, that the general public in China are not able to access Facebook and Twitter, or even Youtube there. Does it imply that Chinese people are not as "connected" as we are? Definitely not, as smart as we know they are, there is a Chinese version of all three sites, they serve the exact same purpose, and they may even look very similar.

Today, I read on npr.org that "Social Media Revolution Hits Saudi Arabia". In the article, it was mentioned that "Ten million Saudis are online, 3 million belong to Facebook, and Twitter feeds are up more than 400 percent."The question was how come Saudi bloggers are receiving additional attention all of a sudden? The answer is simple, because they are presenting information that other internet users are interested in. With overflowing amount of information online, attention is limited and readers can only focus on what looks most interesting to them. With the unrest in Cairo, Saudi bloggers are able to post video clips or first hand experiences online, and share with their blog readers locally or overseas. Often times, these unofficial "news" make their appearance in the social world hours before than the official statement, and are less censored. With today's internet, information is out of control, everyone can reproduce and remix content that are globally accessible, generate and alter information through media outlets, and nothing can be "undone" on the internet. How can the authoritarian regime in Saudi Arabia deal with the freedom that internet has gifted everyone with? How can they block out international news, and continue to remove updates on Facebook, twitter or blogs? Or would they have to surrender to the mass opinion? Or would they have to produce alternative social media sites like the Chinese government and block Saudis from freedom granted by the internet? Is social media powerful enough to take down a government?

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