New social media and their role in the representation of collective action: The Egyptian revolution analysis

Abstract

One of the outstanding features of Egypt's revolutionary movement (2010-2011), using New Information and Communication Technologies, especially the Internet tool protesters and mobile. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, text messaging capability and functions of citizen journalism through mobile phones and the Internet (in conjunction with the official media), and other communication potential of new information technologies, a significant role in the process various developments have Egyptian revolution. Terms like "Facebook Revolution", "Twitter Revolution", "Internet revolution", "cyber revolution" and so on, although perhaps a propagandist nature and away from scientific accuracy, but the importance of contact with the revolutionary processes in Egypt and other Middle East countries show.In this article I will attempt realistic and detailed assessment of the role of virtual communication resulting from new information technologies have in the revolutionary movement in Egypt. The impact of new information technologies on the possibility of cyber activism, online creation and strengthening of interaction acts between online and offline, allowing social networking, appearance repression and decrease the repressive mechanisms of disclosure of communication, mobilization, organization, representation and news and information related to the movement in the revolutionary process in Egypt will form the main subject of this article.

Keywords

• egyptian revolution
• the new communication and information technologies
• collective action
• social movements